Naruto: Jedi Vs Sith
by Monkey Ninja Naf S'netog
Summary: Set during the Clone Wars, the Jedi High Council discovers Chancellor Palpatine to be Darth Sidious. Now that both sides are on even ground, can the Republic win? AU, Rated M for some sexual content, coarse language, and violence.
1. Prologue

**A/N: It may start out a little slow, but it gets better in the later chapters.**

* * *

A vibrant blond headed boy stood in the front line, which was ten across and ten deep, on the very end on his right side. He had been plucked from his family at birth, but was told his mother had died after he was born, and his father was nowhere to be found. He didn't even know his father's name. But, the years with his fellow Jedi Initiates, or otherwise known as Younglings to the older Jedi Knights and Masters, had proven his tale to not be unique. This boy's name was Naruto Uzumaki.

He and the rest of the Younglings were all wearing the same uniform, gray robes and tunics. The robes kept their heat in, which was essential due to their Jedi Temple's location: the planet Ilum.

The planet Ilum was covered in ice, not a single piece of vegetation to be found. But their studies revealed it to be a key planet, with its plentiful Force Crystals made this planet invaluable to the Jedi Order. Naruto had trained in the freezing temperatures outside the Jedi Temple, and it wasn't pleasant. But it did drill some very deep discipline and self control into him. Naruto took a small sniff, breathing in the recycled, manufactured air. The planet as a whole wasn't as big as other planets, and had to maintain strong artificial atmosphere. There was an enormous factory on the planet with many redundant, smaller ones, all around the planet that converted different gases into oxygen. These were the only providers of air and the stabilizers of the atmosphere.

The Jedi Master in front of Naruto's group was talking about how proud he was to have trained them from birth, and how hopeful he was for each of their future's. But, he also reminded them that the Jedi way was a hardship not just anyone could endure, and was a life of selflessness and servitude for civilization, the embodiment of peace.

As the Master talked a bit more, Naruto reviewed the small amount of information he had of his own race. The Uzumaki lived on a far-off planet, but were known for their prowess in lightsaber battles when a Jedi was trained from that race. They were humanoid, as the Humans called most species that had a similar body structure as they. Some had a little bit of fur, and fox-like features. Most looked like Naruto himself, with slightly enlarged canine teeth, and whisker marks. Then Naruto thought to the other people in his age group that came from races that were more prominent among the Jedi.

The first that came to mind was Uchihas, of course. They were really just humans with a different name due to their strength with the Force and the likeness of each of them. Every one of them had black hair, and onyx colored eyes Most became Jedi, and those that didn't worked with the Jedi. Naruto gave a sideways glance to a black haired boy at the other end of the line. Sasuke Uchiha, the most talked about Youngling.

Next that came to mind was the Hyuugas. Naruto, without even thinking, turned his head a bit and looked to the person behind him. The girl, Hinata Hyuuga, caught his eye and looked away, blushing. Naruto only smirked and looked at his teacher once more. Jedi were trained physically and mentally, so he was not blind to the girl's obvious affection for him. Though it was not forbidden to have sexual relationships, it was generally looked down upon. And marriage was absolutely forbidden. He knew that if she continued her small crush, it would probably end up bad for the both of them. Hyuugas were known for their acuteness with the Force, so they could do things in precision with the Force that others could not. Most were very blunt with using the Force, but the Hyuugas were, for a lack of a better term, graceful in their practice. They were usually defined by not having pupils in their eyes, and usually no color at all. Sometimes veins would pop out around their eyes as they used the Force with intense accuracy.

Next were the Harunos, which weren't a race, just a name of a rather large group of Force-sensitive humans. They were all known for very high intelligence, and as Naruto pulled up a mental image of the pink haired Initiate Sakura, he couldn't help but smile. She was cute, and nice. But, for all the smarts she possessed, she was doomed just as Hinata was. She had a blind crush on Sasuke, and her love would probably always go unrequited.

A few others came to mind, but they weren't as prestigious and weren't very special.

Though these families had special talents with the force, it was not something that others could not obtain. It just meant that they were born naturally with these talents, so could reach their potential that much quicker in that area of the Force. But regardless of family one descends from, and Jedi can become master of the Force in every aspect through concentration and meditation. All one needed was time and patience.

"... and today, you finally start your trials to become Padawans. And later with further training and study you may even become Jedi Knights yourselves. Your trials all start with the building of your own unique lightsabers. I know this is a change in method, but here on Ilum we have decided that the building of your own lightsaber before becoming a Padawan was much more important. We believe that if you succeed on this challenge, your training under your own Master will make you more attuned with your lightsaber, and your connection with the Force even stronger." The Jedi instructor stopped, and stared around the group of a hundred initiates, about to take on their destiny.

"And always remember," he said. "_The crystal is the heart of the blade. The heart is the crystal of the Jedi. The Jedi is the crystal of the Force. The Force is the blade of the heart. All are intertwined: the crystal, the blade, the Jedi. You are one._" These words sunk into Naruto's mind, and their meaning was infinite. He knew those words were the truth, and were something he'd have to remember always.

He then stepped aside, revealing a door he had been standing in front of. "In this room, you will find all that you'll need and more to construct your lightsaber hilt and more. But, it is up to you to bring these pieces together and form your desired weapon. Let the Force guide you, and you cannot go wrong." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving the Initiates to file inside the room to begin their Padawan trials.

Upon entering the room, Naruto observed the many worktables and rows of shelves against the walls holding the electronics that were to be used. Naruto made his way to the nearest free worktable, and examined the few scarps of metal and wiring that were left on the table.

Over the next few hours, objects zoomed across the large room by way of the Force. Each Youngling was trained in mechanics and the fine art of making small, efficient electronics. But further studies of these crafts were always encouraged when the Initiates had free time. Naruto had poured over many books over the years, just to prepare for this day. He would be building the weapon that would be his most valuable tool for the rest of his life. He did not want to screw it up.

As he worked, he noticed that others must have studied for this day as well, including the Haruno girl and the Hyuuga. Naruto found himself looking at Sasuke, who was working quickly and masterfully on his own lightsaber, and Naruto quickly began focusing on his own invention. He had started with a metal cylinder, and had cut it into shape. He had found many bits of scrap and new materials that could be useful.

As the Uzumaki worked, his lightsaber began to slowly form in his mind of its own accord. When the picture and blue prints of the weapon were laid out in his head, Naruto was easily able to find the parts and materials he needed to construct it. He was sure to give the power chamber enough space for the Force Crystals he would no doubt have to find after the lightsaber's construction.

It came as no surprise to him when Sakura left the room first, with her double-sided saber hilt clutched in her hand. It was a work of art, and it made Naruto jealous. But, Naruto reflected, it was a risky weapon. If she wasn't prepared to put forth the effort into attuning herself to the double blades perfectly, it could be just as lethal to herself as it is to her enemies. Soon after, Sasuke left the room with his sporty looking hilts, one in each hand. Naruto had figured he'd use two. The third to leave the room was Hinata, with only one hilt, no double sides, but it looked as if it had not been built, but grown together as if the material it was made of was always a part of each other. Naruto had no doubt it had been made with her precision and accuracy with the Force. He was glad she was able to make such a masterful weapon.

Naruto soon finished his own, and was satisfied with it. It was long enough to be wielded by both hands easily, but not so long as to be cumbersome. It had a magnetic clip on it that would attach to his utility belt when given to him when he becomes a Padawan. The magnetic clip could be enabled or disabled by his own unique Force technique, which would make it impossible to be removed from his belt by any other than himself. Also, he made sure the metal he used was of the strongest he could find, and he was confident that only another lightsaber could destroy his weapon.

He wasn't the fourth to leave, but he was in the first twenty. As soon as he left the room, he was told to leave the Temple immediately, with only a small pack of food and supplies to aid him. When the pack was given to him, walked out into the freezing cold through the Temple's front entrance. He flipped his hood on, and walked through the massive, reinforced gates that protected the Jedi base. Since the Temple was mounted against a large ice mountain, it was partially hidden, and well protected by natural elements.

He breathed in the cold, manufactured air slowly, bringing upon a strong self-discipline that would sustain him until he got to a Crystal cave. It took over an hour of walking in the freezing wind, but he counted himself lucky that it was not snowing. As soon as he entered the cave, he felt the difference. Without the wind cutting into him, it was much warmer. Then he noticed that it was warmer than it should have been for an ice cave, and made his way deeper into it.

He soon saw a soft glowing in the distance, and he found the Force crystals. They glowed with either soft blue or bright green. He was disappointed. He knew this planet was known only to produce blue and green crystals, but he thought he would get lucky and find a different color.

He let the Force guide him deeper into the cave, to the crystals that were to be his. He finally reached a small room that branched off from the main cave, and he entered it. He didn't see any crystals, but if he was guided here, he knew the Force would not have led him astray. So, having nothing better to do, he meditated.

And so it went, for the next five hours, he sat in the small, warm room and meditated. As he did so, he felt the energy slowly leave him, seeping into the ice below him.

"H-hello? Is someone there?" A faint voice came, making Naruto's head jerk around. He let his hood down, and saw in his peripheral vision a shadowed figure.

"Who's there?" Naruto asked calmly, silently berating himself for being caught unaware. A Jedi should be constantly alert, even in meditation. But now that his eyes were open, he could see a soft, golden glow emanating form the ice below him.

"Naruto? I... I just saw a light and thought I would investigate... I'll leave, if that is what you want." She stepped closer, and Naruto could see her face now. She had a look of hope and also a tinge of pink in her cheeks. He couldn't tell if it was from the cold of the outside starting to wear off, or if it was from her encounter with himself.

He turned is head to his front so it wasn't strained back any more, and studied the glowing coming from beneath him. "It is fine if you stay; it's been pretty lonely meditating here by myself." _Lonely_, he thought with a chuckle, _that was something my younger self couldn't stand at all._ He had a brief flashback of his childhood, of being a troublemaker and such an outgoing child. But years of Jedi discipline and extra measures either took it away from him, or hid it somewhere deep inside himself. _Maybe when I become a Padawan, my Master will allow for a little bit of that child to come out once more._

Hinata walked into the room, and stood before him. She took her hood down, and sat cross-legged in front of him. She gave him a small smile, and Naruto saw her Jedi discipline wipe the blush from her face. "I found my crystals, already. Not much color to choose from, but I had a few precious gems of my own to contribute to make my own unique lightsaber. I saw you meditating, and thought from the glow that you had your own crystals, too... but I don't see any." She gave him an inquisitive look, and Naruto shrugged, then pointed below him.

"I was guided here, and after meditating, I seemed to have given my crystals a bit of charge. I plan to retrieve them when I finish. And if you hadn't come here, I wouldn't have noticed the glow until much later." Naruto began meditating again, channeling the Force underneath him, to his hidden crystals. But he kept his eyes on Hinata.

"Do you mind if I meditate here, as well? I still haven't charged mine..." A flash of that hopeful look again, and Naruto fought to hide the smirk that was threatening to appear. With a kind smile, and a curt nod, he told her it was fine. Naruto caught the small sigh of relief, before she regained her composure.

So, for the next few hours, they sat and talked, while channeling that mysterious life energy into their crystals. Having been trained to become Jedi, they didn't have much else to talk about. So they exchanged knowledge of the Force, and talked about some lightsaber moves. This went on and on until Naruto brought up Hinata's family.

"Well," she began, looking down at her crystals of different hues that were glowing with power, "I wasn't taken from birth like most others here... I was prematurely born, and I had to be hospitalized for a few months. But they noticed how I had an unnatural strength inside me, that they had not perceived for me to have before I was born. After some observation and tests, they discovered I was Force-sensitive. But I still wasn't brought in until I was about one year old... and I actually remember bits of that day. Most people can't remember anything before they were three, but that memory has been burned into my mind forever...." She looked up from her crystals, and stared Naruto straight in the eyes. Naruto was surprised to see unshed tears sparkling in her eyes, those wonderful, moonlike orbs of lavender... She blinked them away, and gave her crystals a small squeeze. "I... I don't want to think about it anymore and maybe if we have another chance, I will tell you about it."

Naruto gives a polite nod, but his mind races to connect the dots and find out what happened, but to no avail. "Then let's change the subject. How about we discuss our lightsabers?" And so they did. They rambled on about any mods they made from the traditional style of a lightsaber, and how much time they spent pondering on what kind they would make. They discussed the hours of time they spent studying for this day, and how satisfied they were with the outcome.

Hinata let out a small giggle as he expressed how her own hilt looked flawless and masterful. "Flawless and masterful? That's just what I was going for! The more impressive your lightsaber looks, the more intimidated your opponent will be. That was my philosophy when making it, at least. Besides, I don't want to be not picked by a Master just because they weren't impressed with my lightsaber." Naruto nodded and said that she had a good point.

They soon became hungry, and each took out their packs and had a light supper of dried out meat and field ration bars that were made for nutrients, not taste. A few more hours of meditation after their dinner and they decided it was time to sleep. Before becoming unconscious, Naruto thought about how lucky he was to find companionship in this lonely cave. _And there's that word again, _he thought with a small smile, _lonely._ He knew that there was plenty of Younglings out there that may not have even found a Crystal cave, because he could feel cold air drifting down the cave, and see some snow flittering around. A blizzard must have come about since he entered, and the cold alone could freeze someone as they walked. After a few more moments, he curled himself up above the soft, golden glow coming from beneath him, and sleep took him.

* * *

They spent the next two days in that room, meditating and flowing the energy to power their weapons into the crystals. They talked sometimes, made small jokes to lighten the mood. But mostly, it was silent, and the focus was intense.

When they finally felt that the crystals were finished, they stood up and stretched. As Hinata began placing her crystals in her hilt, to complete the lightsaber, Naruto pulled an ice pick from his small survival pack. He began picking away the ice, until he came upon some bright, gold gems. He delicately picked them from the ice, and stood up to examine the find. They were warm to the touch, so he had to wonder why the crystals didn't melt the ice. He asked Hinata about this.

She finished her lightsaber, then looked at him contemplatively. "My guess would be because you are Force sensitive, and so it's not that the gems are warm, but you feel it as the Force in a palpable form." Naruto accepted this as the answer, and quickly began assimilating the gems into his own hilt. When it was complete, he gave Hinata a triumphant smile.

"Together?" he asked.

"Together."

They activated their individual lightsabers at the same time, and the bright beams slid out easily. Naruto's shone a bright gold, and this pleased him. For all these years, he had thought he would have a lightsaber just like most other Jedi. But now... he felt his lightsaber was unique. He waved the light-blade around a bit, and the sound it made pleased his ears. He looked over at Hinata's, and saw her own lightsaber to be of a lavender color, the same hue as her eyes. She slashed with it a few times and did a few twirls, pretending to be hacking away at an enemy.

Satisfied, they both retracted their light-blades, and left the cave silently to make their way back to the Jedi Temple. Upon their arrival, they noticed that they were the last two to come back.

Their Master of so many years looked pleased, and gave them a slight nod in a direction to tell them to get in line. Naruto was relieved to see that about two thirds of their fellow Younglings made it back. But still, those others were still comrades he had known nearly all his life.

"You will now be picked to be a Padawan. Remember that each of these Jedi Masters has reviewed all of your files, and it is not mandatory for them to choose you. Now that you are ready, you have until you are thirteen to be picked. Any of you may be picked today, but just as many may not." He turned to the Jedi Masters, and gave a nod, then left. The Jedi Masters walked up and down the line in no specific order, and slowly the Younglings were taken away.

First to be picked was, of course, Sasuke Uchiha. A well-known Jedi Master by the name of Kakashi picked him out almost immediately. Kakashi was said to be half Uchiha, but did not have their surname. A rather young Jedi Master stood in front of Naruto, and looked deep into his eyes. Her own eyes were red, and her face was beautiful beyond most human standards. A female Yuuhi, said to be one of the most beautiful and erotic of all races. They were not exactly human, but were referred to as "Angels" of the human race. Instead of wearing strict traditional Jedi robes, she wore a curve-fitting tunic with a light, Jedi cloak. Naruto almost blushed in front of her; her beauty was almost enough to break his composure. She gave him a smile, and he almost melted right there, but he held his ground. Naruto couldn't help but glance at her lush, deep red lips.

She then looked him up and down, and gave him a wink. He then knew that if she picked him, rules weren't going to be as strict, and he may just finds that child in himself after all. "Seeing as how all the other male Initiates couldn't keep themselves under control in my presence, I'd say you're a formidable Youngling to hold such composure. A few of them even got hard." Naruto's only betrayal of bewilderment was a slight widening of his eyes, and he had to fight to control his laughter. He could see that she was testing his control again, and he definitely did not want to fail this test. Finally, she gave him a welcoming grin and a rough pat on the back. "Lighten up, you're now my Padawan!" Naruto's knees almost caved in relief, but he gave his new Master a foxy smile that his race was known for. "Thank you, Master...?"

"Kurenai. You may call me Master Kurenai. And now, here is your utility belt. Congratulations on passing." She presented him with the metallic belt, and he clipped it around his waist, underneath his robe and around his baggy tunic. He looked to his right, and saw Hinata, with a look of sadness about her face. In this enormous galaxy, who knew when he'd ever see her again?

Master Kurenai stepped away from Naruto, and in front of Hinata. "Hinata Hyuuga, I've had my eye on you for quite some time now. You may not remember me, but I'm the one who delivered you here." Hinata's eyes widened slightly, as her face showed recognition. "And I've been impressed with your training, and even more so by the craftsmanship of your lightsaber. So, of course, I must have you as my Padawan as well!"

Naruto could see her knees nearly fail her as well at this news, and he could see relief and disbelief flash through her face. _The Force is as mysterious in its workings as it is helpful_, Naruto observed. It wasn't uncommon for a Master to take on more than one Padawan, but it wasn't exactly common, either. And from the look of her age, it was probably the first time Master Kurenai has taken on an apprentice, let alone two. Naruto would not believe that this was spontaneous, and he was sure that Kurenai had meditated on this for quite some time.

"So, let's get going. We need to get to Coruscant, where the first Jedi Temple was built. When my Master took me on, he immediately brought me to the Temple... and, well; you just have to feel it for yourself. We'll be taking my own starship. It's in the hangar, so let's go." Master Kurenai turned swiftly, elegantly, and strode off. Once again, Naruto was caught unaware and he couldn't stop his eyes from catching a glimpse of his new Master's firm backside, just before the cloak flitted down and hid it from view. With a quick shake of his head, to clear his mind, he followed the beautiful woman to the hangar.

* * *

They were in her ship now; it was fairly large, but small for a starship. Leaving the planet was uneventful, and went smooth. Now Naruto stood at a Porthole, as the icy planet shrunk away.

Naruto joined his Master and fellow Padawan in the control room, which had a large viewport, which gave a wide view of what was ahead of them. The room was large, and had a set of stairs to the back that led to the upper portion of the controls. This was where the master controls were, and the only place where the Hyperdrive could be initiated. There were three terminals on the floor below the master controls.

Master Kurenai busily put the coordinates into the computer on the lower part of the control room, while Hinata stood off to the side and observed. Knowledge of several types of ships was drilled into a Jedi's mind at a young age, so Naruto didn't pay much attention to it himself.

_The Jedi Temple on Coruscant_, he thought,_ I wonder if it's anything like the one on Ilum._ Coruscant is a huge world that is, to put it simply, one giant metropolis. Population ranges in the hundreds of billions to a trillion sentient beings, and the massive skyscrapers cover the whole planet. It's been thousands of standard years since the lower levels of the city, or undercity, have seen sunlight. The massive structures even shadow the mountains. It's a planet meant for government and trade, and is the center of the Republic and Jedi Order.

The Temple was originally the main place to train Jedi, but since the boom of Force-sensitives, they had to make three more temples. The Jedi numbers have grown twentyfold in the last twenty years alone. These staggering numbers scared some people, and there were rumors of a Separatist government forming. Of course, Naruto knew better than to believe rumors, but he was taught not to be foolish, either. He was as wary and watchful as he was disbelieving.

"Coordinates entered..." Kurenai murmured to herself as she leaned over a control panel. Naruto, being a few feet in front of her, caught a glimpse down her tunic and immediately turned away to examine the stars outside the window. _This is not going to be easy_, Naruto thought to himself. "Ship set on course..." She quickly sprinted to the back of the command room, and easily ascended the steps to the master controls. She looked down at her Padawans, and gave them a warm grin, before sitting in the Commander's chair.

"Prepare for the jump to Hyperspace." With that, she grasped a handle and eased it upwards. Naruto quickly found a seat at one of the terminals below his Master, and saw that Hinata did as well. In front of them, the stars stretched behind them, and with a sudden _bang_ they entered hyperspace.

A blue tunnel of swirling lights. That was the only description Naruto could think of.

"It'll be a few hours before we reach Coruscant, and there are a few things I must tell you before we get there." Master Kurenai said, descending the steps. She reached the bottom, and stood before her two Padawans, who were now standing. "I'm not taking you to Coruscant for reasons of luxury alone. The Jedi Council is calling a secret meeting, unknown to anyone outside of the Jedi Order. Many Jedi and their Padawans will be attending this meeting, inside the Jedi Temple. Master Yoda feels it is time to bring some urgent issues to attention that has been kept quiet for some time now."

She gave her apprentices some time to take this information in, and they did so without losing their Jedi cool. "But before we go, I have to make a few things clear. You will _not _speak about this to anyone outside of the Jedi Order, and you will _not_ speak of it freely to anyone. This is information for Jedi only, and word of this meeting or what transpires during it can _not_ be made common knowledge. Understood?" Naruto could see the seriousness in his Master, and he replied an affirmative simultaneously with his fellow Padawan.

Master Kurenai gave them a warm smile, one that warmed Naruto's heart, "Good. Now, get some sleep. I don't want you two falling unconscious during the meeting."

* * *

When Kurenai's ship set down on a landing pad atop one of the Jedi Temple's spires. As Naruto stepped out into the open pad, he looked down and saw a vast cityscape that stretched as far as he could see. He couldn't believe the vastness of the city, but what took up most of his vision below him was the Jedi Temple's layout. There were four spires surrounding one single spire in the middle. There were other structures, but these five spires were by far the biggest, and the most magnificent.

Then Naruto reached out with his consciousness to touch the familiar Force, and was surprised to find its strength had more than doubled. One's connection with the Force grew stronger only through meditation and time. Naruto could not have obtained this much strength on his own in just a few short hours. He looked to his teacher in puzzlement. She gave him a smile.

"This Temple was built on a natural Force Nexus, and when one is within its field, your connection with the Force is stronger than usual. Even if we weren't here for the meeting, I'd still have taken you here to just see the Temple and learn from it, as well as letting you feel this." After her explanation, Kurenai began walking briskly away, to find the nearest repulsor-drive elevators that would make their steep descent.

As they were landing, Kurenai had explained that the meeting would be below ground, as an extra precaution. And so, they made their way down, hitting ground level, then descended even further.

Naruto stood still as they descended, the only light coming from the overhead auxiliary lamps. The transparisteel elevator soon came to a stop. Through the transparent doors, Naruto could see a wide, tall auditorium. Platforms floated around a center stage that the High Jedi Council was standing on. Naruto knew that when the meeting began, the large center platform would rise up, and tiny, concealed microphones would amplify each voice. The doors slid open, and the three Jedi stepped out.

Kurenai and her apprentices soon took their places in one of the mini platforms, and it rose to take its place among the others. Naruto surveyed the surrounding Jedi, and was struck by how many there were. It couldn't just be a coincidence that this was happening now, for the first time in history. Never before has this many Jedi existed at one time, and there has never been a gathering of this magnitude. Naruto could not say if this was the most secret or first secret meeting of Jedi only, because, of course, if there had been more, they were secret. Before Naruto could speak further, the center stage rose and the auditorium became completely quiet.

Naruto looked over at Hinata, and she glanced his way as well. The thought was mutual, he was sure. Their first real Jedi experience.

The stage rose to a height that gave everyone a good view of all twelve members of the council. Of the Council, Naruto saw Mace Windu and Yoda. Yoda stood hunched, and he was resting against his cane. The little green Jedi had thin, gray hair and wore traditional Jedi robes. Mace Windu was in the same garb, but stood tall of his own power.

Naruto allowed himself to be engulfed by the swirls and eddies of the force, and felt its power come from all over him. He briefly closed his eyes, and he could feel the Jedi all around him as if they were blazing super novas. He quickly pulled himself out of his meditative trance, just as Mace Windu spoke.

"My fellow Jedi, it has come to our attention that over these past two decades, Jedi forces have grown significantly. So far, we've been able to keep this under wraps, and no problems have occurred. The other three Jedi Temples that have been built have been well hidden, and so that has been kept from general knowledge as well. But, we must acknowledge that there _is_ a disturbance in the force, that there _is_ something going on. I do not think that the recent influx of Force-sensitives is a bad occurrence, and I do not wish to stop training Jedi. But, the fact of the matter is we can't ignore the Dark Side any longer." At the end of Windu's statement, the amassed Jedi began to murmur to each other.

Yoda stepped up, and the room was instantly silenced. "Grown strong, the Dark Side has. Act now, before it is too late, we must."

Naruto blinked, wondering if that was all the Grand Master Jedi was going to say. When Mace Windu nodded at his fellow Council member, the answer was apparent.

"We of the High Council have meditated long on this matter. We wish for you all to be prepared as you can, because the ripples in the Force tell us something catastrophic is to come." Mace Windu surveyed the gathering of Jedi around him. "I will now elaborate why this is such an important meeting, and secrecy is key here. We of the High Council have discovered treachery within our very midst.... Chancellor Palpatine is Darth Sidious, Lord of the Sith."

Naruto's eyes widened, and a gasp escaped from between his lips. He was not the only one; nearly everyone else did the same.

Mace Windu nodded, showing he was just as shocked as they were. "The fact that he has been able to hide from us for these many years is a sign of how powerful he has become. But, he has slipped up. Though his rise to power seems seamless enough to fool, it is for that very reason he is not to be trusted. After the Neimoidians invaded Naboo, he rose to power. And during these years of the Jedi Boom, we have noticed his interaction with a few of our Younglings. But any hard facts of these interactions cannot be found; though we have eyewitnesses."

Mace Windu stopped briefly, to take a breath and organize his thoughts. "His eight-year term of being Chancellor ends in three years, and we feel that if anything were to happen that stops his dethronement, it is good enough reason not to trust him. But, we must go about this carefully. We must have hard facts, to prove to the Public that he is a traitor, and is no friend of ours. Do not make a move until such an event occurs, but if it does, we of the Council will see to his disposal personally.... Furthermore, there are some Dark Jedi roaming around the Galaxy. That is, Jedi who are not part of the Order, but do not adhere to Sith rituals either. They are users of the Dark Side, but are not fanatics to the point of wishing destruction upon all Jedi. But, that is not to say that they cannot be converted to the Sith."

"It is no secret that the Sith lives on," Mace continued. "And proof of that was Darth Maul, killed by Obi Wan Kenobi. It's been seven years since then, and we do not intend to sit idly while this Dark Lord of the Sith trains a new apprentice. The Sith have a rule of two, as we all know. They follow it strictly, only allowing a Sith Lord and an apprentice. Be this as it may, it will not stop the Sith from raising an army against the Jedi. Be on the lookout for any disturbances in the Force that may be interpreted as the use of the Dark Side."

Mace folded his arms within his robes and gazed out to the Jedi with a serious look. "You now see the need for secrecy. As soon as we are able to prove that Chancellor Palpatine is, in fact, Darth Sidious, we cannot be accused of plotting against him for power. We'll be gathering evidence on Chancellor Palpatine for the next three years, and if anything stops him from losing power, we will put forth the evidence and strike before it is too late. Should anything go wrong, we are prepared. Since the discovery of Darth Maul, the mass productions of clones have begun once again. A Clone is fully mature and trained after ten years. Once again, a coincidence we cannot ignore. Darth Maul was discovered seven years ago, and then Senator Palpatine became Chancellor two years later. By the time his term ends, the main force of the clones will have been grown and trained, ready for battle."

Naruto realized the implications of the Jedi Master's statement before it was even uttered. And when Naruto gave a glance to his Master and his fellow Padawan, he knew that they had realized it, as well.

Mace nodded, sensing that everyone in the room had caught on. "We believe a war will breakout at the end of his term, and that will be reason enough to not elect a different Chancellor. A shift in power during a crisis such as war would not be favorable with most of the Republic. That is why his betrayal will hurt all the more, and will also be his demise. If Darth Sidious somehow escapes us, he will have to deal with the fury of trillions of sentient beings. Our ranks will swell with volunteers, and war production will be swift and efficient. Of course, this is all speculation. Until, and if, these events occur, I encourage you to train and meditate. Until next we meet, may the Force be with you."

After that, the platforms, powered by repulsorlift drives, descended. The room reverberated the murmurs of nearly ever Jedi or Padawan in the auditorium, and it was quite a different feeling from being in complete silence as Mace Windu talked. Just as Naruto's platform landed, he got a glimpse of the High Council leaving the room.

Master Kurenai quickly led her two apprentices from the room, and into an empty repulsorlift elevator. As soon as the transparisteel doors closed, Naruto sensed the distress coming from his master rippling through the Force.

"Master, what troubles you?" Naruto inquired, trying to stay as formal and tactful as a Jedi should. Kurenai looked down at him, being at least a head taller than he, and gave him a small smile.

"Don't worry about it. There's no point in dwelling on what has not happened yet. We must remember to live in the present, let the Force guide us, and train hard." As she finished, the fast moving elevator stopped, and she stepped out onto an open permacrete platform. Her two Padawans emerged behind her, and the elevator immediately descended once more.

"Master Kurenai, Coruscant is so... _beautiful._" Hinata said in awe, as she gazed down and out from the platform. Kurenai gave her Padawan a soft smile, and nodded.

"Tomorrow, I'm taking you two on a tour. Every Jedi must be familiar with Coruscant, the most important planet in the galaxy. And you must become familiar with this temple as well, for it is the birthplace of the Jedi Order that thrives today. This, you shall see today." And so, true to her word, Kurenai led her subordinates away from the elevators to begin their tour.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Okay, this is going to be a completely different experience for me. It's a completely new universe, and nearly everything is different.**

**So, if you like where this is going, leave a review. If you don't like it, I promise I won't lose any sleep over it. Just remember, reviews always make the writer type that much faster.**


	2. Three Years Later

Bota.

Naruto ran swiftly towards the blaster fire that rained down on him from behind low permacrete walls set up for defense. His arms were blurs as he moved his lightsaber in continuous arcs to deflect the bolts. The Uzumaki reached out for the Force, allowing for the connection to blaze through his veins, quickening his movement. Suddenly, everything became slow except for himself. It was amusing to be able to deflect dozens of blaster bolts at the feet of the attacker. Their expressions were one of awe, and of confusion. And then, Naruto was upon them.

Black Sun agents, heavily armed, and very dangerous. Yet, at the sight of the blond Jedi, they began to flee. Naruto inhaled the fresh air of Drongar through his nose. The scent was one of a kind, and it focused his mind and made his connection with the Force stronger. With an outstretched hand, he slammed the Force down upon the fleeing agents, instantly flattening them to the ground. He knew without a doubt that each of them was knocked unconscious. He could feel it through the Force.

Bota.

Inhaling that intoxicating air once more, Naruto sped forward, heading for the heavily fortified headquarters of the Black Sun on Drongar. Heavy suppressive fire rained down upon him from the battlements of the fort. But with the Force guiding him, he easily dodged the destructive artillery bolts and deflected the smaller ones that he could not dodge. He soon got too close to the tower of ferrocrete for the artillery weapons to hit him. Now that he was out of range of the huge guns, he easily made his way to the front entrance.

Bota.

A new wave of energy surged through his body as soon as he saw the squad of ten agents waiting for him. Before they even opened fire, he was on them, slicing through their blasters and Force pushing their other weapons out of the area. After disarming the poor fools, he was sure to knock them all unconscious. With a small smile of victory, the young Padawan whipped around, his foot-long braid behind his right ear swished through the air, so that he faced the tough looking durasteel doors.

Bota.

Naruto cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders, all the while feeling the Force give him the power for what needed to be done. He plunged his golden lightsaber into the door and began to melt a hole in the dense metal. If all was going to plan, his Master and Hinata would be attempting to enter the Black Sun HQ as well, albeit in two different sections. When the perfect circle was made, Naruto Force kicked the heavy metal, and slid through. A series of _twangs_ greeted him as dozens of strategically placed agents opened fire on his exposed body.

Bota... The plant really did wonders. He had taken a concentrated dose of the medicinal herb before the mission, and he had instantly felt the effects. And he was still feeling it, as he strode across the polished floor, deflecting blaster bolts coming from nearly all directions. His concentration redoubled, and he sent a massive Force push towards a small group of agents on his left, which hit a stone pillar then the agents themselves. As debris and a cloud of dust filled the room from his Force attack, he took advantage of the cover.

Using the Force to guide his away, he easily took out the Black Sun members, rendering each of them unconscious. It was, of course, not the Jedi way to kill unless absolutely necessary. Naruto deactivated his lightsaber and moved on.

Farther into the room, Naruto discovered a staircase that led to the second level of the fort. When he reached the top of the steps, however, a blast door blocked his entrance. With a grunt, Naruto sent tendrils of the Force into the door's inner workings, and within seconds the door popped open and Naruto stepped through. The young Jedi found himself in a large ballroom, with a grand staircase at the far end that led up to an open balcony. He sent a quick pulse of Force energy throughout the room, and only found one person present. The boy shuddered, as he remembered the last time this happened. _I'm stronger now, and my team is definitely on their way this time..._ He had to keep his spirits up, just so he had the courage not to run from the room.

So, stepping farther into the room, Naruto could feel darkness rippling through the energy around him, and it was almost tainting his own connection with the Force.

"Fu fu fu, they sent a _Padawan_ to stop me? I'm insulted!" A snake-like voice slithers into Naruto's ears, and a chill creeps through the teen's body. Naruto's mind suddenly flashes back to the three year's of Galaxy trekking he did with Master Kurenai and Hinata. The last time he met Orochimaru two years ago, he had nearly died. There was still a small scar that the medical droids could not repair, from where the Dark Jedi had slashed his back with his lightsaber.

"I suppose Master Yoda forgot about your failure to apprehend me last time." The voice came again, accompanied with a dark chuckle. Then Orochimaru appeared at the top of the staircase, black robes trailing the length of his body. Upon closer inspection, Naruto noticed purple lace trimming the Dark Jedi's apparel. Naruto felt a ripple in the Force as Orochimaru threw his arms wide, his dark cloak falling to his feet. Naruto kept a straight face, but he knew what this meant. The Black Sun's leader was preparing for battle.

Orochimaru descended the steps slowly, keeping a small, bemused grin on his face the whole time. The man's long, black hair swished behind him as he walked. Naruto almost gulped as he watched the man's exposed arms, which were chorded with muscles. Now that his cloak was gone, Naruto saw the utility belt around the man's waist. A single lightsaber hung at his left. The same weapon that had caused him so much pain in the past.

Naruto shed his own robe, and moved closer to his opponent. Unlike Orochimaru's open-armed black and purple tunic and leggings, Naruto's was tan and sleeved.

"Now, little Naru, don't seem so grim. You should be enjoying your last moments alive." The Dark Jedi gave Naruto a wicked grin, making him a little uneasy.

"You forget your instruction, Oro. Jedi are taught to live in the moment, and not to assume anything." Naruto replied coolly, despite the growing fear he felt. _Maybe the Bota is starting to wear off_, Naruto thought worriedly.

Without a word, Orochimaru's lightsaber leapt to his hand and sprang to life, glowing a menacing violet. Naruto activated his own lightsaber, and the two Jedi began to circle one another. As they moved, Naruto was having an inner debate over whether his Master and Hinata would make it in time, or if he was on his own. Again.

"You can't win, little Padawan. My knowledge of the Force and skill with a lightsaber far surpasses your own. Give up now, and I promise to make your death as swift as possible." The words of the Dark Jedi drilled into Naruto's head, making him feel a little woozy. But none of that showed on the outside. But, Naruto was a little surprised. The man's approach was markedly different than before.

The young Padawan waited patiently, determined not to make the first move. His concentration was set upon the man before him, yet a small bit of his mind began to wonder where his team was. He decided to stall for time. "Lay down your weapon and come peacefully, and I promise you shall be tried fairly in the Republic courts."

A snort of laughter escaped Orochimaru. But instead of replying, to Naruto's dismay, he attacked. The man covered the distance between Naruto and himself in an instant, and the two respective lightsabers clashed together violently. Naruto's muscles tightened, and he managed to knock the man's blade away. An instant later, the violet lightsaber arced upwards on Naruto's left, and the Padawan barely managed to parry. As soon as this happened, Orochimaru spun and attacked Naruto's right viciously. The sounds of the two light-blades clashing together filled Naruto's ears, and Naruto had no time to go on the offensive.

When he saw the opportunity, Naruto Force leaped backwards, on to the balcony above. He now had the high ground. But that didn't matter, because Orochimaru was up the stairs a second later, and was now rushing him from Naruto's right. The two energy blades collided again and again as they dueled up close. Naruto gave a small, foxish grin. Orochimaru obviously didn't know about Naruto's lineage, and how they evolved from hellish animals that, when cornered, doubled in strength.

Feeling the Bota once again, accompanied with a massive rush of adrenaline, Naruto became completely intertwined with the Force. His primal instincts kicked in, and he was barely able to contain the animalistic snarl that threatened to escape his lips. With a new found strength, Naruto's golden blade lashed out, taking the offensive. He drove Orochimaru back, slashing in a pattern that eventually made Orochimaru realize a flaw in his attack method. Taking the false opening, Orochimaru parried Naruto's own lightsaber and struck out with his violet one only to be met with a violent Force push that Naruto put all his strength into.

Naruto gasped for air as his opponent was sent speeding through open space, crashing into a wall twenty feet away.

A fiendish laughter filled the air, and Naruto groaned inwardly.

"Little Naru! You've gotten better!" Orochimaru stood, seemingly unhurt. Naruto guessed he used the Force to cushion his impact. Then Naruto saw a dramatic change in the man's demeanor. He became serious, and Naruto felt a wave of fury ripple through the energy field around them. "Now let's see how _you_ like being tossed around like a rag doll!"

Before Naruto could stop it, he was hurled bodily from the balcony, and was headed face first to the floor on the level below. Naruto did not flinch, and did not close his eyes. He reached for the Force and encompassed himself in it. Though his momentum was great, he thought he might be able to survive it if he softened it enough. But, if not, he recited part of the Jedi code in his head; _There is no death, there is the Force._

And just before impact, he felt even more of the Force fold around him and stop him a few inches from the floor. A look of surprise flashed across his face, and a scream of fury emanated from the Dark Jedi above. Naruto turned his head to the entrance to the room, and found his Master, with Hinata standing behind her. Relief flooded through his body. They came in time.

"Master!" Naruto called, his appreciation and gratitude flooded his connection with the Force, and Kurenai nodded in acceptance of his non-verbal thanks. He was released from his Master's hold, and he made sure to flip himself over to his feet. As he fell, he had deactivated his lightsaber. He now flicked it back on, and turned to face the enemy.

"Give up now, Orochimaru. You cannot take on all three of us." Master Kurenai said, letting no emotion be revealed in her voice. She was answered with a slew of insults and curses. Naruto saw his Master and Hinata activate their lightsabers. The three Jedi stood side by side, Naruto with his golden lightsaber on his left, Master Kurenai with her cyan colored lightsaber beside Naruto on his right, and Hinata with her lavender blade beside Kurenai.

Orochimaru stood at the top of the staircase, seemingly weighing his situation. But with a cocky grin, he deactivated his lightsaber and turned around. A hidden door panel slid open, and he stepped through. It slid shut with a hiss behind him. Instantly, the three Jedi were up the steps, then through the door after it being Forced open.

They found themselves in a hangar that took up the rest of the building's levels. Ships of different varieties were on the landing pad, and some were parked along the wall, as if on display. They spotted Orochimaru hopping in to a small, sleek ship that Naruto was quite sure had Hyperdrive capabilities.

"Stay here." Kurenai ordered.

Kurenai was too fast for Naruto to keep up with anyway, so he didn't even try. He and Hinata had to leave it to her. Naruto deactivated his lightsaber as he watched his Master zip across the room with a speed he hoped he could one day match, and she did it with a grace he knew he could never even hope to obtain. Before Orochimaru could even start up the engines, the landing gear was slashed.

And as Naruto watched from afar, his Master made short work of the expensive looking ship. Within a few seconds, it was unfit to even hover. The transparent hatch popped open, and Naruto saw Kurenai outstretch a hand, and lift Orochimaru bodily out of the hatch by way of the Force. The man's lightsaber was flung far across the hangar, back to where Naruto was. Hinata caught it.

A shrill of pure hatred pierced the air, and Kurenai, who placed a small device on Orochimaru's chest, quickly silenced it. Naruto and Hinata zipped over to their teacher.

Kurenai gave them a small smile, "Mission complete." Naruto grinned back, and he saw Hinata offer one of her own sweet smiles.

Kurenai opened a holo-comlink, and an image of Yoda popped up from her transmitter. "Of the mission, news you have?" Said the little green Master, who was actually a light blue and flickered due to the image.

Kurenai nodded. "Master Yoda, we have successfully captured the Black Sun headquarters on Drongar, as well as Orochimaru. The valuable resource of Bota can now be safely acquired for the Republic."

Yoda nodded thoughtfully, "Done well, you have. A squadron of Jedi, I will send." The link then closed. Kurenai looked into the faces of her subordinates, and smiled her beautiful, wonderful smile. Though the years with her made Naruto used to the Yuuhi influence, he couldn't help but get a stomach full of butterflies at seeing that smile.

"Master, what shall we do with Orochimaru? He's a dangerous criminal, and we must get him back to Coruscant..." Hinata trailed off, her lavender orbs gazing down at the paralyzed man, then at the newly acquired lightsaber in her hand.

"As long as that device is on his chest, he'll be paralyzed. We'll have to carry him to the ship, and lock him in one of the rooms until the squadron of Jedi arrive. But until then, we have to gather some Bota. And I'm willing to bet that Orochimaru has a vast supply, already refined and purified, somewhere in this fort... So you two search for it, while I take the Black Sun leader to the ship." Kurenai didn't even mention the Dark Jedi's lightsaber, so Naruto assumed she didn't care if Hinata kept it or not.

As Kurenai walked away with the man floating beside her, Hinata activated the violet lightsaber. Then she activated her own lavender one. She spun the lightsabers at her side for moment, and Naruto couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked with the glow of the different hues of purple caressing her skin... He quickly abandoned that trail of thought, and walked away to search for the Bota. He heard the lightsabers deactivate behind him, and knew Hinata was about to look for the Bota as well.

And after half an hour searching, Hinata found it. Naruto stood beside his fellow Padawan, inside a cold storage room that was hidden under ground level. It was a vast space, filled with crates of Bota. The room was filled with years of acquisition and labor, so it saved the Jedi a lot of time. This was a valuable find for the Republic, and a valuable victory as well. Due to the planet being mostly uninhabited by sentient beings, this world could be harvested for Republic use. And, if Chancellor Palpatine is in fact Darth Sidious, this had to be kept within Jedi ears only.

Hinata and Naruto walked through the rows of crates, taking stock. After an hour, their Master joined them. The Jedi squadron was scheduled to arrive in a day or two, and then they would set off on another mission.

Naruto paused, near the back wall of the cool storage room. He had filed all the information he learned from the mission into his datapad already, but not twenty feet away, he saw Hinata doing the same. Or so he thought. As Naruto edged closer, his curiosity peeked at hearing a voice that was neither Hinata's or his Master's. Crouching behind a row of crates near his fellow apprentice, he listened and watched, as he saw a hologram projecting from Hinata's datapad.

"It's been a while since we last spoke, Hinata. What's been going on?" A familiar sounding voice came from the hologram, and upon closer speculation, Naruto noticed it was an image of Sakura Haruno. Naruto's eyes slightly widened, and he was confused. He didn't know that Hinata and Sakura were keeping in touch.

"We've been on a mission the past few days, and we finally completed it." Though Naruto only had a view of the side of Hinata's form, he could still see part of the smile the Hyuuga gave the Haruno. "Remember the Dark Jedi who hurt Naruto a couple years back? We finally captured him today! And between you and me, I was a little upset that I didn't get to him before Naruto did.... I wanted to be the one to apprehend him, to show him he can't just hurt the people who are dear to me!"

"Oh, Hinata! It's so tragic the way you feel for him, and he doesn't even feel the same!" Sakura said dramatically, throwing the back of her palm to her forehead to emphasize her point.

"You're one to talk. You've got a hopeless obsession of Sasuke, and you rarely even see him. Has he returned any of your messages?" Hinata asked, and Naruto could feel a twang of pity ripple through the Force.

Sakura looked downtrodden as she simply replied, "No." But she quickly recovered and gave Hinata small smile. "You're so lucky, Hina. You get to see the person who means most to you everyday and I last saw Sasuke... like three months ago." Naruto blinked at this. Through the years of being with Hinata, he had thought that her affection had ebbed away. But now, for Sakura to say he was the person who meant most to her, he had to seriously rethink his opinion of the Hyuuga girl.

"We've been over this a thousand times, Sakura. You'll just never stop playing the guilt card will you?" Hinata said jokingly, and received a small giggle from her friend. It was at this point that Naruto decided to make his presence known.

The Uzumaki stood up, and walked towards Hinata. "Hey, Hinata, done with the reports yet?" It was the most casual thing he could think of to say, to hide the fact that he had been eavesdropping.

She gave a squeak, and the hologram instantly disappeared. She whipped around to face him, her face flushed pink. Before he could stop himself thinking it, she did look cute when she got riled up. "Uh, y-yeah. I was just finishing."

Naruto nodded, keeping his demeanor casual. "Was that Sakura you were talking to?"

"Y-yeah... We've been keeping in touch over the years, trying to stay friends. But it's kind of hard, moving across the Galaxy so often." Her face cleared up, and Naruto felt her grasp the Force to steady and calm herself.

He gave her one of his foxy grins, and he saw her composure melt once again, and a soft blush graced her cheeks. He kind of liked the ability to do that to a person, and he found himself growing fond of the idea of someone caring so much about him. But, he reminded himself, it was not to be. The Jedi code was strict against such attachment. But, if he longed for it this much, he couldn't even begin to imagine how torn Hinata must feel. But before he could say anything, Hinata's and his own comlinks crackled to life.

"_Naruto, Hinata.... The war that the High Council feared has begun. Clones are being mobilized, and we are as well. There has been a battle on Geonosis, but we have won. The Confederacy of Independent Systems has formed, and the separatist armies are active. We are to dispatch to Ilum immediately, for fear of losing the main supply of Force Crystals. Come to the ship now, and bring a few crates of Bota... I think we may need all the help we can get." _The comlink closed.

Hinata and Naruto stared at each other for a moment, bewildered. Then, without a word, they both rushed through the room. Using the force, they brought three crates each to the ship, which Kurenai had moved to just outside of the Black Sun's headquarters. As soon as they ran up the ramp, it closed behind them and the ship lifted off.

The Padawans quickly stored their new cargo and made their way to the bridge.

"Master Kurenai!" Naruto said, as soon as he got through the door. They were already hitting the atmosphere.

"Is there any news of Chancellor Palpatine?" Hinata asked, finishing Naruto's thoughts. Kurenai gave them a flat stare, then gave a small nod.

"They tried to give him emergency powers, but the Council moved in with evidence to prove him to be Darth Sidious. They tried to capture him, but he somehow managed to escape. Master Windu nearly died, but is now in stable condition. The Jedi Order is now in charge of the war campaign, and is backed by the whole Republic. As Master Windu guessed, outrage has spread across the galaxy. Our ranks swell with volunteers and armies from every Republic world that has one. Add to that the massive amounts of clones, and we have ourselves a considerable force." This news was shocking to hear, and Naruto had to sit at one of the terminals to steady himself.

His mind had been on so many other things, he had nearly forgotten about the troubles on Coruscant and with the CIS.

"Prepare for the jump to hyperspace." Naruto heard his Master say, but it was like a far away voice. He barely even felt the jolt that soon followed.

"But, Master, if we have so much support, why is Darth Sidious not calling it all off? His plan has been foiled, he can't win now!" Naruto said, crossing his arms, his brows coming together in a thoughtful manner.

"Padawan, you _will_ remember your training. Never underestimate an opponent, and don't _assume_ anything. You know how the saying goes. To assume makes an ass out of you _and_ me." Kurenai said, giving Naruto a hard look.

He spent the next few hours in a sort of daze, wandering about the ship with nothing to do. He soon found himself back in the command room, staring out into the blue swirl in front of the viewport.

Then a bell rang off in his head, and he whipped around to look up at his Master who was sitting up in the master controls. "Master Kurenai, what about Orochimaru? We can't take him to Ilum!"

Kurenai nodded, distractedly. It seemed he was not the only one with heavy thoughts. "I've left him on Drongar, for the squad of Jedi to take care of. We can't take any risks on Ilum. It's a key planet, if we are to keep lightsabers in the hands of the Jedi Order. After all, it's hard to come by Force Crystals."

Naruto nodded, but he felt a deep uneasiness inside him. He reflected on the last few encounters with the man, and they never turned out good. In fact, the last three years were all about the same mission. Track down Orochimaru, and disassemble the Black Sun. But there was doubt in his heart that that mission was complete, and he wondered if he'd ever be able to complete it.

Instinctively, he reached behind himself and felt the place where he'd been struck by the lightsaber that Hinata now carries. He frowned at the thought of Hinata carrying a lightsaber that wasn't her own, and that had once belonged to such an evil man. But, with a sigh, he admitted to himself that it was better off in her hands than in Orochimaru's. He also had a feeling that this day was not the day he'd last see Orochimaru.

* * *

Orochimaru managed to twitch an eye, but that was all the movement he could muster. The paralyzing device was sending jolts of electricity to vital organs and to his brain, in systematic doses and areas. Every time he reached for the Force, the device would send a current to his brain, rendering him thoughtless. And without concentration, there was no hope of controlling the Force.

Orochimaru wanted so much to scream in cold, blood lusting fury. _The fucking bitch stole my lightsaber_, he roared inside his mind. _She just plucks it out of the air and she thinks it's _hers?_ The little cunt will know my wrath no matter what I have to do. And Naruto... I should have finished him off when I had the chance. I thought it would be fun keeping the damn kid around, but he's gotten too good. It was a mistake that I _will_ not make again. But how the hell am I going to get out of this mess?_ He fumed, trying once again to connect with the Force, only to have a mind-deadening sensation take over him for an hour.

When he became aware once more, his anger had doubled. _I just need one shred of luck to come my way, and I'll be out of this bind. It's happened before, it can happen again._ He tried to calm himself, thinking back to his Jedi teachings. This only served to enrage him more, and it disgusted him that he was reaching for his old life to comfort himself.

He actually managed a small gurgle in his throat, and it satisfied him a bit. It wasn't the furious roar he had tried for, but it would do. _And that Jedi Master locked me in complete fucking _darkness!_ Why had I been stupid and told my agents to evacuate, that I'd handle this myself?_ He raged inside his head for a few more hours before he heard the footsteps.

"Orochimaru," came a low, rough sounding voice. "It seems you and I have a common enemy. Join me as my Dark Acolyte, and I will free you. I feel the rage coming off of you, and the lust to kill the ones who did this to you. In exchange for letting you have your revenge, you shall serve the CIS and me. Do you agree?"

Orochimaru's eyes darted around, his supernatural vision straining to find where the voice had come from. And since he couldn't make any words, he put all his will power in to a cough.

"I'll take that as a yes." And with that, a deep red glow lit up the small room. _A fucking _droid_ closet_, Orochimaru screamed in his head, _The bitch put me in a fucking _droid _closet_. The lightsaber made a precise movement, and the device was destroyed with no harm done to Orochimaru. The Dark Jedi immediately stood before his savior, but did not grovel or even give any sign of appreciation. He looked into the face of an older man, with a gray beard and thinning hair. Count Dooku, Sith Lord, apprentice of Darth Sidious. Orochimaru was quite familiar with the workings of the Sith, but not in a friendly way. For the longest time, they've been enemies.

"Take this as a gift of truce between our two forces. Let us merge to defeat the Jedi scum." Dooku then opened up a small, rectangular box. Inside it was a lightsaber hilt, curved at the end to a point. It was sleek, and slightly intimidating. Orochimaru gently plucked it from its box, and flicked it on. He stared at the red beam for a moment, before switching it off again. He would miss his old lightsaber, but this was a new chapter in his life.

Dooku nodded, "I know where the Jedi you seek are going. And it just so happens to be the place we were going to strike next. Ilum, and you and one other will be leading an attack on a secret Jedi Temple there."

A secret Jedi Temple? Now _that_ was something Orochimaru didn't know, and he licked his lips in excitement. He would soon have his revenge.

* * *

**Okay, for those of you who know anything about Drongar, or felt the need to look it up on Wookieepedia, I know I changed it drastically. But I had to tailor it to fit my needs.**

**Thanks for reading, and leave a review.**


	3. Attack on Ilum Part I

With a jerk, Naruto awoke. He blinked a few times to clear his blurry vision. He sat up and yawned, scratching the back of his head. He supposed the jerk was them leaving Hyperspace, and that they had arrived at their destination. He was in a small, white room with only a bed and a data screen on the wall.

He scratched his ass as he stood up, and quickly began to get dressed. A few minutes later, after he quickly and expertly braided his hair behind his right ear, he made his way to the bridge. It was there that he saw the icy blue orb that he grew up on. He smiled, thinking of it as being as much as a home to him than any other place, even Coruscant, where most of the Jedi dwelled.

"We'll be landing in a few minutes, so you may as well strap yourself in. The winds on Ilum are unpredictable, as you know." Master Kurenai said from above, at her control terminal. Naruto quickly did as he was told, taking a swivel chair in front of a databank of computers. To pass the time, he scanned the Jedi archives that were already loaded into the ship. He had looked in the archives many times over the years, and he never found a trace of Ilum. It was a secret the Jedi had to keep out of enemy hands, and so it was too risky to have electronic data on it.

Hinata came into the room a few minutes later, as they were nearing the atmosphere. As she sat down, Naruto watched her out of the corner of his eye. Something seemed different about her, but he couldn't decipher what it could be. She caught his eye and he quickly looked away.

They soon landed in a hidden hangar, in the mountain behind the Temple. Naruto slipped on his heavy, hooded robe as he left the ship. It was always cold on Ilum, even inside the buildings.

"Kurenai, we've been expecting you." A man Naruto recognized said. It was Asuma Sarutobi. The man who had taken on Sakura as an apprentice. Asuma gave Kurenai a fond smile, and rushed forward to give the woman a hug. Naruto just stood there looking on in puzzlement. He had no clue that his Master shared in such an informal relationship with the man.

A shriek suddenly pierced the air, and it was pure force of will that made Naruto not activate his lightsaber as a figure zipped out into the open and tackled his teammate. The blond sighed in relief. It was only Sakura.

"It's been so long, Hina! I've missed you sooooo much!" The pink haired Jedi wailed, her long braid trailing down the back of her robe. Naruto watched this little display of affection, coupled with his Master's own greeting, and felt a little lonely. No one had rushed forward and gave him a hug....

Looking around the hangar, Naruto noticed two hooded figures approaching. When they were close enough, Naruto saw that it was Sasuke Uchiha and his Master, Kakashi Hatake. The blond Jedi hadn't seen the Uchiha since he left Ilum so many years ago... And he could now feel the Uchiha had reached his potential. It never failed. If an Uchiha became a Jedi, they would no doubt become great. But there was something even more magnificent about this particular boy... He was stronger in the force than any Padawan should be.

Soon enough, the Uchiha and Uzumaki were standing a few feet apart from each other, looking into each other's eyes. It was not the Jedi way to treat any being as an inferior species. But the look Sasuke gave Naruto... it was pure superiority. It clearly said, '_I'm more powerful than you can ever hope to be.'_ Naruto had to fight with all his will to suppress a grimace, and Sasuke seemed to know that his behavior had gotten to the blond boy. This only proved to infuriate Naruto even more.

"Master Kurenai, you have raised two very fine Jedi." Kakashi said, his hood casting a dark shadow over every part of his face but his right eye.

"And I feel your Padawan has grown stronger in the Force than anyone could have predicted. Very nice." Kurenai said politely, but Naruto knew her better than that. She gave Sasuke a kind look, but Naruto could tell there was a bit of unease. Did his Master feel something disturbing in the Force surrounding Sasuke?

"We were just heading out to Hypori... Master Yoda is sending a large attack squad to destroy a major Droid Hive. He feels that Sasuke's unique connection with the Force will be a necessity for the mission to be successful." Kakashi said, sounding bored. Naruto wondered how he could be so calm, knowing he was being sent on such a dangerous mission. Then again, Naruto knew that if you were able to maintain a constant connection with the Force, it would ease your mind of troubles.

"I wish you and your squad luck. Maybe if we hit them hard enough, and early enough, we won't have to fight for long." Kurenai said, stepping away from Asuma and towards Kakashi. "But I do find it odd, for a Padawan to be held so highly."

If the hood hadn't hid so much of his face, Naruto might have thought the man was grinning. "Well, he's definitely proved himself these past few years. We've been on many recon missions, and have reported a vast amount of intelligence directly to the Jedi Council." The man suddenly leaned in, as if what he was about to say next was of the utmost importance. "And if I were you, I would be very cautious. We've encountered more than a few Dark Jedi, and Dark Acolytes. It seems that the Dark side has grown strong, and it has seduced many Force-sensitives into its path of destruction. If Ilum is attacked, there will no doubt be a few lightsaber wielders." He suddenly stood up straight, nodded to his Padawan, and stepped around the little group of Jedi. Sasuke quickly followed.

No more than a minute later, the two were gone, speeding off into space.

Kurenai's face seemed serene enough, but Naruto knew her long enough to know better. The little group of Jedi soon left the hangar and made their way to the lower section of the Jedi Temple. It was there that they met up with a full Battalion of Clones, each of them busy fortifying the Temple.

Kurenai gave the men a few words of encouragement, then the group moved on. Kurenai briefed her Padawans on what to do when the Temple is attacked, then wandered off to catch up with her friend. Sakura hung back, talking fast to Hinata. Naruto tried not to listen.

Pretty soon, Naruto and the other two Padawans soon found themselves back in the room where they had built their own lightsabers three years prior.

"Wow. It brings back some good memories, doesn't it, Naruto?" Hinata said softly, walking up next to the Uzumaki. Naruto nodded, looking around the room. Sakura was suddenly in front of them, with a small grin on her face.

"Have you two ever fought lightsaber to lightsaber before? Well, not each other, but against someone else..." the Haruno asked excitedly. Naruto glanced to his lower left, avoiding the girl's eyes. "You have, haven't you? You have to tell me all about it!"

Naruto gave her a hard look, but felt a small pang of guilt in his gut. He could not deny the power and pride he felt when he had faced Orochimaru. Both times he had to face the man alone, and both times he survived, and even held his own. So, with a sigh, he told her, starting with his first encounter.

* * *

_Naruto gritted his teeth, and pushed hard with his lightsaber. The blast door was very thick, and very dense. It was hard to get through, even with a weapon such as his. As soon as the hole was cut, he leapt through, deflecting blaster bolts as he did so. With all the power he could muster, he hurled a Force push and the squad of Black Sun agents. They were knocked off their feet, and the ten or so beings all landed in a heaping pile._

_Naruto ran up the durasteel steps, slicing through auto-turrets as he went, then turned left into a corridor. He remembered the layout of the ship well. He had studied it many times before starting the mission. A sudden explosion threw him off his feet, and he landed hard on his back against the corridor wall. The ship was under fire by his Master and fellow Padawan, Hinata. He was the first to board the ship, and his comlink was broken during the fight that ensued. So, without orders from his Master, he had to continue with the mission on his own. It was his first mission, but it's taken his team over a year to get close to its end. He had to capture Orochimaru. _

_He was up on his feet, running once more. His golden lightsaber flashed through the air as more blaster fire was deflected. With a grunt, he used the Force to bust open an overhead pipe, filling the room with a dense fog. _Must have been a cooling duct_, he thought. Sensing his way, he sneaked past the agents and finally came to his destination. The bridge._

_Busting through the doors, he came into a luxurious, very expensive room. It had a very large, ornately decorated viewport, and through it Naruto could see the planet the ship was orbiting. Tatooine._

_In the middle of the room, sitting in a plush throne, Orochimaru sat. The whole room was decorated in different shades of purple, and different species of slithering reptiles were in tanks lining the walls._

_"Orochimaru, you are under arrest by order of the Republic. Come quietly, and end this senseless conflict." Naruto said, sounding braver than he felt. But, reaching for the Force, strength suddenly flooded his body. He felt confident, and a peace overtook him that could only be obtained through hard discipline. He was only fourteen, but he was about to face a lethal, Dark Jedi._

_"Oh, little Padawan, have a seat." The man said in a snake-like voice. The words rolled smoothly off his tongue, and Naruto almost took a step towards an open chair. "I do believe there is a misunderstanding. I have done no wrong deed. At least, nothing that can be proven." Naruto raised an eyebrow to this._

_"Nothing wrong? Then explain the heavily armed Black Sun agents protecting your ship." _

_"I'm merely expressing the utmost hospitality. I'm holding them for a friend." Orochimaru said with a small grin, sipping from a golden chalice. "Besides, young...?"_

_"Uzumaki. Naruto Uzumaki, not that you need to know. I won't be at your trial, anyway."_

_"Young Naruto, come to your senses. Do you really think that anyone in their right minds would oppose the Republic, especially when everyone knows the Jedi swell in their ranks more and more with every passing year?" Orochimaru said, and Naruto knew the man was trying something underhanded. "Of course, you know I was once a Jedi myself. Don't you ever wonder _why_ there's a Sith? Or _why_ Jedi would secede from the Order? There must be a reason, right?"_

_"Lust for power. Greed. Fear, anger, attachment. I know all the reasons a Jedi would not want to be a part of the Order. But, if someone wielding so much power is only using it for backward ways, they should not have the power at all." Naruto said, eyeing the Dark Jedi warily. A few more explosions rocked the ship, then complete silence engulfed the two._

_"Yes. I see. So, what you are saying is that if you are not with the Order, then you are against it. If you are not a Jedi, then you are evil. If you have power, but are not a martyr, or a saint, then you are to be disposed of. Dear, dear Padawan, does this not seem like the very opposite of Democracy?" Orochimaru stood up, setting his chalice aside. He took a few confident steps towards the boy, a violet cloak trailing behind him. "Join me, Padawan Naruto. I am certainly not evil. It is your precious, corrupt Order that is evil. They brainwash little babies and children, making them think that a life of sacrifice is the only life they can have. Yet, the High Council sits in their little room, living it up in their expensive Temple on Coruscant. Surely, this is not the Jedi way."_

_Naruto's mind was in utter chaos. This man was hitting chords that Naruto himself had thought out previously. But, Naruto's resolve held strong. _

_Holding out a hand, Orochimaru said, "You and I, we are one of a kind. We think outside of the box. Little Naru, we can join up, and be the ultimate team. Why should you be the dog of society? Why should you clean up the mess of the Galaxy? Surely, with the powers you were born with, you are more capable of being something greater? Why be part of the Galaxy's sanitation brigade, when you can live life to it's fullest with me?" _

_Naruto stared at the outstretched hand, while a battle raged within him. Everything this man said was against the teachings Naruto knew by heart. But, that was it, wasn't it? He was taught almost from birth to be a Jedi. He never had a choice in the matter, did he? The blond boy bit his lip, and looked up into the face of Orochimaru. The kindness of what Naruto thought a father might have could be found in those eyes. It was enough to make Naruto's hand twitch. _

_"Naruto!" Hinata shouted from behind him, and instantly Orochimaru's lightsaber lit up. But Naruto's own golden one was in his hand, parrying the strike. Quickly spinning and turning, Naruto unleashed a wild onslaught of arcing attacks. A trick of the light made the two blades elongate and swirl. Pretty soon, Naruto relied only on the Force and his reflexes to keep him alive. He and his opponent were moving too fast to think, and that was when he made his mistake. He swung his lightsaber in an opening in Orochimaru's defense, but it was a feint. The tip of the Dark Jedi's lightsaber caught Naruto's own blade's tip, the force of which spun the boy around. Naruto watched with horror as his weapon flew out of his hands. Calling on the Force to bring it back, it stopped in midair. Then dropped. An intense pain in Naruto's back, on his lower left side, had broken his concentration._

_He cried out in agony just as his Master appeared in the room, and Naruto felt himself lifted bodily away from Orochimaru. He landed softly in Hinata's arms as she kneeled on the floor, who quickly began muttering comforting words to him. With the sound of lightsabers crashing together, and the smell of burning ozone in his nose, he blacked out._

_

* * *

_

Naruto glanced down at his feet, "And two days later, I woke up in a soft bed in a medical ship. But, I wouldn't even be here if it hadn't been for Hinata." Naruto glanced up, and looked directly into those lavender orbs. He had never told her what had happened before she showed up. "I was weak. I almost caved in to the Dark Side. You helped me find my resolve, my commitment. Thank you." He gave her a smile, and he enjoyed the mad blush that spread across her face. She looked away, and he turned his attention to Sakura, and briefly summed up his latest encounter with Orochimaru. "So, how about you? Did you encounter any Dark Jedi in your travels?"

She almost pouted, and shook her head. "Master Asuma trains me hard with my double bladed lightsaber, and so we don't do many missions. And those that we did never involved combat. But, I think that I'm ready. I'm perfectly in tune with my weapon, and I'm perfectly capable of using it."

Naruto nodded, but his eyes were drawn back to Hinata. Now, after reliving those memories, how could he have been so stupid? He had been blind to her, thinking her affection for him was just a small crush, that would fade with time. But now he could see. These past three years had done nothing but stoke the fire within her, deepening her attachment. Could it be? Love? He did not know love. And it was a dangerous thing to harbor, if you are a Jedi. So, not knowing love, how would he recognize it?

The Hyuuga girl looked back at him, her large eyes meeting his own. And he saw it. Maybe it was a mistake, but something in her eyes looked to him to be more than just a small attachment. More than a little crush.

"I would have helped you fight him," Hinata said, looking away again with a blush on her face," but the room closed down, locking me out. By the time Master Kurenai and I got in, he had already disarmed you."

Naruto nodded, and looked away himself. He couldn't begin to know what to do about the situation he was in. So, he simply excused himself, and walked away.

* * *

Orochimaru gazed at the swirling blue lights, envisioning the battle he would have with Naruto... and his little cunt of a friend. That Hyuuga bitch that stole _his_ lightsaber. And that fucking Yuuhi? He would leave her alive... force her to watch him decapitate her Padawans.

Yes, this was what he wanted. This was what he _craved_.

"So uncivilized, so _unrefined_. Your hate, Orochimaru, needs to be contained if it is to be used." An emotionless voice came from behind the former Dark Jedi. Orochimaru whipped around, to glare at his partner. Grinding his teeth, Orochimaru examined the tall man. His hair was a soft orange, and it came down in spikes around his head. The many piercings that graced his face were painful to look at. And as Orochimaru stared into those hard, gray eyes with a black circle surrounding the pupils, he couldn't push the man's name from the front of his mind. Pein.

"Who are you to talk about hate? You were named in the likeness of your only feeling. All you are is Count Dooku's little pet project. An experiment in the uses of the Dark Side, and its eccentricities. When I need advice on how to cope with my whole race being slaughtered in front of me, I'll come to you. Until then, don't say another fucking word to me. All you are is a tool, so just stay out of my way, and do your damn job." Then Orochimaru smirked, liking the feeling of power he got out of bringing emotion to the eyes of the little worm standing before him. He knew the comment about the man's whole race being extinct was a low blow, but he didn't care. Fuck him. Fuck him _and_ his whole race.

"If you compromise the mission, Orochimaru, I will not hesitate to dispose of you." Regaining his emotionless demeanor, Pein strode away. Probably to go spend some time with the chameleon droids. Pathetic.

Turning back around to the viewport, Orochimaru barked out some orders to the droids piloting the relatively small starcraft, to which they responded, "Roger roger." He hated droids. Every single one of them was a worthless pile of scrap that would have been put to better use as a can opener in his eyes.

Orochimaru didn't like being this "Dark Acolyte", as Count Dooku ranked him. He was a Sith, but he did not want to be. He did not want to be an extremist. Whether it be Jedi or Sith, he hated both sides. Each side had its benefits and shortcomings, but to be truly free, you had to go with being a "Dark Jedi." Orochimaru wasn't pleased with that term, either, but it sure beat the other two titles.

But, examining himself now, he knew he could not go back to being just a Dark Jedi. It was too late, the seed of hate and anger had been rooted too deep within himself. But, he reflected, if he got his revenge, it would be well worth it.

He glared at his feet, wondering if he still had time to be the leader of the Black Sun, while still being a Dark Acolyte, who had to obey orders from the Sith Lords. He was still in control of the organization, he was sure of that.

After Orochimaru's release from captivity in the Droid room, he had immediately removed his forces from Drongar. It was a lost cause, with a squad of Jedi on the way. Instead, he was pulling all resources to his home base on Coruscant. By stealthily putting his own army on Coruscant, it would be easier to mobilize against the main Jedi Temple when the time came.

Walking out of the command room, Orochimaru brought his thoughts back to the Uzumaki. He was the cause of all this. He was the reason Orochimaru had no choice but to become a Sith. And, in just a few hours, he would be leading a stealth attack on the Jedi Temple on Ilum. He would toy with the boy and his little girlfriend, then shatter their hopes of winning in a glorious blaze of power. He would bring them before their Master... and slice them into little pieces. Yes, that was _much_ better than decapitation.

A sinister grin appeared on the man's face as he lit up his lightsaber and sliced through a passing by droid. He couldn't wait to kill them.

* * *

Naruto spent the next few hours in his room meditating. He was bunked with his team, in a large, militaristic room. If need be, one could press a button and be instantly blocked from view by a weak force field. But Naruto had no need for that, as he was alone. He sat atop his bed, contemplating Hinata's feelings, among other matters.

So, it came as a shock when a siren blared through his room, and a voice was shouting orders of an intercom. He knew what he had to do.

The rooms were located on the top most regions of the Temple, so Naruto had to cram into a packed repulsorlift to quickly get to the bottom. As soon as the doors opened, it was chaos. Blaster fire lit up the room, and it was coming from every direction.

"They've breached the front barricade," One clone shouted, just before getting a face full of blaster bolts. Naruto let the Force strengthen his strides as he ran. His lightsaber was activated and executing perfect Form V Shien style defensive tactics. He soon found cover behind a large chunk of ferrocrete that had been blown out of the wall. He found a clone commander barking orders from there, with an injured leg.

"Commander, what's our situation?" Naruto asked, keeping an eye out for any blaster bolts.

"We've got droids out the ass, sir. We received a fuzzy transmission from one of our scouts, but it only lasted for a few seconds. We were about to go into a state of emergency, but they just came out of nowhere and the front fortifications were blown up. We suspect a battalion of chameleon droids placed mines without us noticing." The commander stopped there to shout out some new orders on his comlink. "Then the Supers showed up."

"How are our flanks doing, then?"

"Unless they're drilling a hole through the thousand mile long ice behind the temple, we should be holding strong. But- shit, newbie, get the hell in there!" The commander began yelling at a clone that had dropped his weapon and was scuttling around on the debris ridden floor to find it. Just as the clone found his weapon, a sniper shot him through the head. Naruto watched in horror as the man stood there for a second, then crumpled to the floor, blood and gore dripping from a massive hole where the exit wound was.

The commander shook his head slightly, then turned his head to Naruto. "The name's Jax. And you better be on your way; we're losing fine men out there." Naruto nodded swiftly, then Force jumped, hammering bolt after bolt into the chests of super battle droids. He rushed headlong into the fray, slicing through droid after droid. A large explosion nearly put him off balance, and he barely had time to dodge the tons of falling ferrocrete.

"Naruto!" The boy looked up just in time to see a massive chunk of ceiling hovering above his head. "Move! I can't hold it for long!" He did as he was told, rolling out of the way. The second he was clear, it fell with a crash.

He looked up into his savior's face, expecting to see the scolding look of Master Kurenai. Instead, he saw the battle worn face of Hinata. Her face was smeared with blood, sweat, and mud. But her hair had ice crystals in it, and that's when Naruto realized the explosions had let in the freezing temperatures of Ilum. "H-Hinata... Thank you." Was all he could say, but the battle busted in, and he was force to fight once again. The clones were becoming thin in numbers, and the droids didn't look as if they were losing numbers at all. Gritting his teeth, Naruto summoned every bit of concentration he had. He balled it up within his hand, compressing it until the force of it actually began to sear his mind. Thrusting his open palm forward, Naruto let out a raw pulse of Force. It slammed into the wall of droids, smashing their ranks backwards.

"Fire!" Naruto roared, raising his lightsaber in emphasis. It seemed as if solid walls of blaster bolts were rained down upon the disheveled droids, who had no chance to recover. Naruto almost picked up a blaster for himself to use. It was at that moment something heavy came upon his mind, and death tickled the hairs on the back of his neck. He actually heard Sakura scream in pain. Asuma, among a few other Jedi, was dead, and Naruto knew who was responsible.

Growling in anger, Naruto spun on the balls of his feet and sped through the battlefield, away from the droids. He knew now what was going on. The droids were a decoy, so the real attack could be launched. As Naruto ran, he summoned all the strength he could from the Force, and pushed it into his limbs. Bursting through the entrance to the mess hall, Naruto saw him. Orochimaru, standing in the middle of the large room, his victims lying dead at his feet.

"I knew if I killed enough of these worms, you would finally feel it, little Naru." Orochimaru said, his words slithering into Naruto's ears, planting the seed of guilt. Of course, it was Naruto's fault. If he hadn't been so stupid, he could have found Orochimaru sooner, and there would have been fewer deaths. Naruto tried to gain composure, but he couldn't resist giving Orochimaru a death glare, showing his hatred of the man.

That's when he saw what was at the Snake's feet. Younglings... at least ten of them. Signs of a struggle were apparent all around the room. Naruto could see Asuma's head, separated from his body, under one of Orochimaru's feet.

"You... bastard." Naruto choked out, appalled at Orochimaru's sudden transition from Darkness to evil. How could Naruto have ever wanted to join this man? He was ashamed, even if it was two years ago.

Orochimaru gave a high pitched chuckle, then brought his foot down with a crunch, crushing the former Master Jedi's head into a gory mess. The snake-like Sith had eyes that glinted with a joyous hate.

Not being able to take it anymore, Naruto rushed forward, hacking wildly in an unorthodox mix of classical forms of lightsaber combat. This seemed to take Orochimaru by surprise, because he was having trouble blocking Naruto's moves. Naruto channeled all his anger into his blows, and finally caught the tip of Orochimaru's new Sith blade. The Uzumaki spun around at that moment, bringing his foot up into Orochimaru's chest, using the Force to harden the blow. The man was sent flying back, landing a good twenty feet away, lightsaber deactivated. Naruto picked up Asuma's own dual-phased saber, and flicked both ends on, attaching his own hilt to the utility belt on his waist.

The blond boy twirled it around a few times, trying to get used to it. '_This is insane, Naruto. This could kill you.'_ Was what Naruto's rational side said, but the rest of him was screaming revenge for the Jedi lost. Years of Jedi training took over, calming Naruto. He grit his teeth briefly, then took a deep breath.

"Jedi scum. You're all worthless pieces of shit." Orochimaru said, standing up shakily, wiping blood from his mouth. His lightsaber leapt up from the floor, and into his hand. The red blade soon sizzled to its full extension. "When I'm finished with you, I'll toy with your little girlfriend, then bring what's left of your bodies to the Yuuhi bitch. I'll keep your heads as trophies" Orochimaru spat, rushing forward, twirling his blade in a flashing, overhand arc. Naruto flicked one end of Asuma's lightsaber off, and parried Orochimaru's blow, He quickly shut off that end, and brought the other one to life, nicking Orochimaru's left shoulder with a reverse hold. As Orochimaru swung his own weapon up at Naruto, the boy switched both sides on and tossed it far into the air. At the last second, Naruto bent backward, and watched the red blade glide an inch over his nose as if in slow motion.

Falling into a roll, Naruto came up with his own lightsaber in his hand, which was already extended and prepared for action. He twirled it and parried Orochimaru's next attack, then attacked with his own over handed blow. They locked, trying to overpower one another. Naruto knew he would lose this match of strength soon, but he held his ground. Naruto's face was mere inches from Orochimaru's, and he held a look of complete serenity, just to piss the man off even more. Summoning the Force, Asuma's blue lightsaber flashed through the air, twirling rapidly. Naruto jumped at the last moment, knocking Orochimaru's attack away. When the boy landed, he looked over, hoping his attack worked. It had.

Orochimaru lied there, roaring in pain and rage, both his legs separated at the knee. Both wounds had been instantly cauterized. Asuma's dual bladed lightsaber lay next to the murderous Sith's separated legs, still activated. Naruto was glad Asuma was one of the Jedi who incorporated the lightsaber throw in their arsenal. Many Jedi had their lightsabers set to deactivate as soon as they left their master's hand. Of course, it was an extra stroke of luck for Naruto, considering most Jedi with double-sided lightsabers didn't use such an attack. But, since that was the basic assumption, it would have given Asuma an edge in battle.

Strolling over to the defeated man, Naruto kicked away the curved hilt of the Sith blade. "Your rage blinds you of your surroundings. A Jedi must be aware of all things, at all times. Constant vigilance." Naruto lectured the man, to add insult to injury. As expected, Orochimaru only responded with a scream and a slur of insults. But, after a few minutes, the man's ranting subsided into a maniac laughter.

"You have lost this battle, Jedi." An emotionless voice came from behind Naruto, accompanied with the thrum of an activating lightsaber.

* * *

**I almost didn't feel like writing this. I was very discouraged by the amount of reviews I got for my last chapter. Only four of you bothered to click the button below and tell me what you thought.**

**I am happy that my email inbox was overflowing with notices that my story was favorited and put on people's alert list, but, it's a slap in the face that barely anyone reviewed. ****So, take a few short minutes to tell me what you think. I promise it won't kill you.**

**(And a special thanks to the four of you that did review; this chapter was for you!)**


	4. Attack on Ilum Part II

Naruto quickly arched his back and twisted to the side, flicking on his own saber as he did so. He had narrowly dodged the extended Sith blade, which, had it been there just a half second ago, would have been right through Naruto's heart. The teen barely had time to raise his lightsaber to defend the next blow, which crashed into his saber with such force that it lifted him off his feet.

Not stopping, the new foe repeatedly thrashed his lightsaber violently against Naruto's, driving the boy higher off the ground. When Naruto was finally almost out of the man's weapon's reach, he reared his arm back and slammed his blade against Naruto's lightsaber. The resulting force threw Naruto high into open air, until he crashed against the ceiling. The air was knocked from the Padawan's lungs, and he had no time to catch his breath. His new opponent had already Force leapt into the air; his red blade thrumming as it crashed again into Naruto's lightsaber, throwing him hard at the floor. The boy managed to roll on impact, but he still had no air to breathe, and he was in too much pain to move any further. His opponent wasn't blinded by rage; he was cool and methodical, dominating Naruto with sheer power.

As the Sith landed, Naruto managed to squeeze some air into his screaming lungs. With a cough, he managed to regain some lung capacity, and the boy began gulping in air. But every breath he took was pure agony. He was more than sure that at least four of his ribs were broken.

"Don't kill him, Pein!" Orochimaru screamed, "He's mine! Get the _fuck_ away!" Naruto glanced over at the former Dark Jedi, who was crawling on the debris-ridden floor, screaming up at his partner.

Pein didn't stop to respond to the screaming man, but only strolled over to Naruto, and raised his lightsaber high into the air. _So this is how it ends_, Naruto thought. _I couldn't even touch the man._ By sheer will, Naruto managed to extend a hand in a feeble Force push, which veered the man's down coming arc away just enough to miss the boy's neck. "Your fate is inevitable, little Padawan. I will end you here, no matter what. Just give up, and let me end your pain."

"No, you fucker! He's mine, you son of a cunt _whore_!" Orochimaru screamed even louder this time, making Pein glance at him in a look of annoyance. This was all the distraction Naruto needed to scramble away into a standing position. Pein reacted quickly to this, immediately closing the space between Naruto and himself. Pein leapt up, crushing his foot against Naruto's chest, forcing the teen back to the ground. Once again, Naruto found himself unable to breathe, and the pain in his chest was doubled. And there Pein stood, looking directly into Naruto's eyes. And what Naruto saw in those steel gray orbs made Naruto shiver, either that, or because he was unable to take in enough oxygen, and he was about to black out.

"Goodbye, Jedi." Lashing out with his lightsaber, Pein went for the final blow. Only to be met by a bright, soft lavender blade. Pein was forced off of Naruto by another, violet blade swinging at his neck.

"Hinata!" Naruto choked out, tasting blood. She didn't respond; she just ran at Pein, lashing out with her two lightsabers. Naruto managed enough concentration to slowly summon his lightsaber hilt from the place where he had first hit the floor. He watched Hinata intently, but he could only lie there, feeling that if he got up, he would fall apart into a bloody mess. It was painful enough just to take in small gasps of air.

And as he watched, a feeling of dread overtook him. Hinata could not win. Her element of surprise was gone, and Pein was recovering ground fast. It did not matter that she had two blades; he was a master of just one blade, and he was faster, too. And to add to all his advantages, he was far, _far_ stronger than Hinata. In a desperate move, Naruto watched as Hinata leapt on to a wall, then pushed herself off with such speed and power that Naruto knew she used the Force to do it. Her tactic worked well enough; as she dived at Pein, her two blades dominated the exchange, forcing Pein back once more.

Naruto soon had to stop watching; he had problems of his own. Orochimaru now had his lightsaber hilt in his mouth, and he was bounding at Naruto on his arms. If Naruto had been in fit condition, he would have laughed because it looked so awkward. But, it was a serious problem. Naruto couldn't breathe right, so he had no chance of standing and fighting. Working through the pain, Naruto flung his arm outwards in a slashing motion, directing the Force at Orochimaru. He obtained the desired effect; Orochimaru was thrown off balance and landed in a screaming pile atop some fallen pieces of ceiling.

Movement caught Naruto's eye and he looked over to see a speeding Sakura, brandishing her deadly double-lightsaber. Naruto's excellent vision was able to perceive dried tears on Sakura's cheeks. She no doubt knew about the fate of her Master.

Now that Pein was facing two Jedi, he seemed to lose his edge in battle. But Naruto was disillusioned very soon.

Pein ducked under Sakura's spinning lightsaber staff, and slammed his own lightsaber hard into both of Hinata's, knocking the Hyuuga off her feet. He was upon her immediately after, but was thrown off of the Padawan by a Force push that Naruto could feel even though he was about twenty feet away. Kurenai stepped into the room then, her hand still outstretched. Her clothes were ripped and burned in places, and her face had smears of black on them, which was splotchy due to the tears Naruto could see flowing out of her eyes. Kurenai wiped her face, and a stony, emotionless expression appeared, as if her emotional turmoil had been wiped away as well.

Taking another gasp of air, Naruto closed his eyes and felt for the Force. He could still feel the anger and sadness of every Jedi in the room in a palpable form, so he knew his master was still grieving. He let go of the connection, and watched as Pein got back to his feet, getting into a defensive stance. Surely he wouldn't take on a Master, _and _two Padawans?

The three Jedi attacked at once, surrounding the man in a triangular formation. Pein was fast enough to dodge Sakura's and Hinata's constant arcing attacks and Naruto saw the man focus on Master Kurenai.

Naruto blinked a few times. This man was insane.

* * *

Pein twisted his body in midair as he avoided strikes from both the Padawan girls, and he still managed to lash out with his Sith blade, knocking the Master back. As he landed he immediately crouched and twirled, striking his foot out. He knocked the pink haired one off her feet, and parried the over-handed blows from the purple lightsabers that came hurtling down upon him. He recognized the girl with the purple blades as a Hyuuga.

Using the Hyuuga girl's power against her, he twisted once more and brought the heel of his foot up into the girl's chin, jarring her head backward. The weakling needed to concentrate on her defense a little bit more. As the two Padawans hit the ground at the same time, Pein stood up, and turned bodily towards the Master. He had heard of her... She was the youngest Master in the Jedi order. Kurenai Yuuhi. She had recovered from his attack by this time, and was holding her cyan colored lightsaber with both hands. He knew the Hyuuga would not be getting back up. If he hadn't broken her neck, then she was _definitely_ knocked out. The pink haired one was beginning to shuffle back to her feet, and Pein just couldn't allow that. It had been so long since he had faced a Master Jedi, and he didn't want some little girl ruining it for him.

With a flick of the wrist, he sent a powerful wave of the Force crashing into the girl, sending her into a nearby wall. This seemed to anger Kurenai. Good.

The two Master's of the Force began circling each other. Pein didn't have much time. Other Jedi would soon be on their way. He knew the battalion of droid decoys would be destroyed very shortly. But, his mission was complete, and now all he had to do was get out of there to finish the job.

The woman stopped moving and took a deep breath. Pein picked this moment to attack, swinging his blade in an arc at her lower left. She managed to parry it, but Pein was already slashing at her neck. She blocked this, by which Pein responded to deliver several repeating blows, attempting to drive her own lightsaber into her head. She managed to twirl around his last blow, before he had completely overpowered her. No matter. He blocked her attack at his back without even looking and twirled around, coming face to face with her, lightsaber pressed hard into hers. He looked deep into her eyes, which were soft and serene. But he could see the concealed tears in them. The hidden pain in those eyes gave him an edge. He craved it; fed on it. It was the whole reason he preferred such overpowering force against his opponents, rather than technique for a quick kill.

He wanted them to feel pain. To really _feel_ it. Make them feel the way _he _did all the time.

He leaned over her, pressing harder into her blue lightsaber. A few more inches and she would lose balance. Then he would take her pain to the next level. But he felt a sudden ripple in the Force, and it was too late for him to stop it.

The pulse of raw Force power launched him into the air away from Kurenai. The impact hurt, but it didn't register in his mind. He twisted in the air, and softened his landing to a mere thump. He glared over at the Jedi Master, who was now standing in front of a squad of clones and five more Jedi. Pein knew it was over. He raised his hands into the air slowly, with his deactivated lightsaber still clutched in his left fist. With a stony expression, he pressed a small button at the end of his Sith blade hilt.

* * *

Naruto was gasping for breath, crawling on all fours. He had to make sure Hinata was okay. He absolutely _had_ to. When he finally completed the thirty-foot trek to her body, he noticed she was still breathing. He collapsed beside her in relief, without getting a good look at her face.

Just as he thought he could finally lose consciousness, a loud explosion filled his ears, and a rumbling rocked the Temple.

* * *

Orochimaru gave Pein a death glare as he was carried through the collapsing halls of the Jedi Temple. He felt like chopping the arrogant prick in half, just for saving him. And he wanted to chop his own head off, for losing to a _Padawan_. He was a Sith, a powerful user of the Force. He was the leader of the Black Sun. Yet, he was fooled by a trick. As Naruto had said, he was blinded by his rage.

And as Pein had said, he needed to refine his anger if he was to use it. To apply it with proper use. There was no chance of getting his legs back; they were left behind in the Temple's mess hall. It was weird... Orochimaru could still feel his feet. He could still move them. Yet, when he looked down, all he saw were two burned stumps. Two burned stumps that hurt like hell, now that Orochimaru's adrenaline was finally running down.

They soon exited the Temple, and Orochimaru glanced back to see pieces of it crumbling inwards. Mission complete. Point one for the CIS. Yet, he felt incomplete. This wasn't his victory, this wasn't _his_ point. He had not killed Naruto, the Hyuuga whore, or the Yuuhi bitch. And, if their mission was as successful as it is supposed to be, he probably wouldn't get the chance.

"Fuck..." was the only thing he could say before losing consciousness, the pain in his legs finally overloading his brain.

* * *

As the air finally began to clear, Naruto opened his eyes. Breathing in sharp intakes of cold air, he was surprised to find the building around him still somewhat intact. But it was apparent that significant damage was done.

Slowly turning his head, Naruto surveyed the mess hall. Huge chunks of the Temple had been destroyed, but it was mostly whole. Feeling a warmth under him, he looked down, to see Hinata's unconscious form beneath him. Despite the cold, his face became hot. He must have thrown himself over his helpless friend during the chaos. But, now that it was over, he slowly removed himself, rolling over onto his back next to the girl. Pain suddenly wracked his body, and an uncontrollable cough took him. And with each spasm, a spike of pain was shoved through his chest.

As the fit subsided, his mind and vision became fuzzy. A numbness overtook him. He had a vague sense of being in motion, and could register some far off shouting that almost sounded like his name. His skin barely registered the warmth of blankets being wrapped around him. And as he was lifted into an evac ship, alongside the other two Padawans that fought Pein, he blacked out completely, succumbing to the overpowering exhaustion that he felt.

Naruto spent the next two days submersed in a bacta tank, in a ship orbiting Ilum. The Uzumaki slowly opened his eyes, feeling weightlessness as he floated in the transparent, bluish liquid. A mask covered his nose and mouth, and he was able to breathe from it normally. He took a deep breath, to test his injuries. He felt no pain, so he assumed he was fully functional once more.

The Healers in the room seemed to know he was awake and in better condition, because the drain below Naruto soon opened up. When the tank was empty, save for Naruto, who was now standing on his own two feet, warm air blew on his body from every angle. Naruto stood there for the next few minutes, being air dried, hearing the flap of the baggy white shorts he was wearing. The tube finally lifted. Naruto took of his mask, and slowly climbed out of the large, high-tech machine. He felt slightly weak as well as disoriented. Looking around the room, he saw five more bacta tanks, each of them occupied.

The teen stumbled across the room, and tripped. He landed face first into the ample chest of a blond woman who had stepped forward to catch him. He immediately recoiled, stumbling over an apology, then tripped backwards, landing on his rear. The woman laughed at him. He looked up, and saw the smiling face of a human, probably in her late twenties.

"You shouldn't move around too much. That was quite a beating you took; you had us worried that you wouldn't make it. The blunt chest trauma was very severe. If your body wasn't strengthened by your race's lineage, I'm not sure if you would have made it. You had multiple soft tissue, orthopedic, and pulmonary injuries. Of course, your Master provided us with a vast amount of Bota, which helped your recovery significantly. It also saved more than a few other lives..." The woman looked Naruto up and down, crossing her arms underneath her considerable cleavage. "My guess would be that you'll feel weak for a day or two, until you're back at 100%."

"Um, thank you. Miss...?" Naruto didn't see her wearing a nametag, but he didn't want to spend too much time looking at her chest. He figured she got enough of that everyday, so it wouldn't be right if he added to her troubles.

"Tsunade Senju, head Jedi Healer. You're lucky I was on my way to Ilum, or you may not have survived. I was coming here to build a new lightsaber, along with my Padawan. When I arrived, the battle was over, and my ship was suddenly flooded with patients." She gave Naruto an even look, then nodded to herself. "Your friend, Hinata... She's still in critical condition. The neck is a very delicate place, and hers was nearly ripped apart. I was able to heal her shattered jaw, and I did all I could to mend her neck. She's in a special Bacta tank now, one of a quality unmatched. I also mixed the liquid with Bota, as well as injecting both the Bota and Bacta into her bloodstream. That's all I can do." She gave Naruto a small squeeze on the shoulder and slowly led him to the private room where Hinata was.

Standing beside the tank was Sakura and Master Kurenai, both looking intently at Hinata, as if willing her to heal faster. Naruto could feel the pain in the room coming at him in waves through the Force. He could feel the loss of Jedi on the minds of both the women in the room, especially the death of Master Asuma. Naruto stood there, watching Tsunade check a few monitors around the room, occasionally muttering to herself. The busty woman whispered something in Kurenai's ear, then left the room.

Naruto grabbed a thick brown cloak that was hanging on the wall, and wrapped himself in it. He stood next to his Master, who looked intently at Hinata. He could tell she had been crying, even though he could also see his Master had tried to hide it. But when Naruto looked at Sakura, he noticed tears still fell freely from her eyes, and dripped off her chin. He couldn't imagine how it would feel to lose Master Kurenai, so he had no idea what amount of pain the girl was going through. Then, as Naruto looked at the tank, to see Hinata floating there with her eyes closed, wrapped in a white gown, he realized something else. Sakura's best friend was on the verge of death, which must be doubling the pink haired Padawan's pain.

Biting his lip, Naruto felt a wave of shame overcome him. If he hadn't rushed into the room where Orochimaru was, the consequences wouldn't have been so severe. If he had gathered a team... if he had approached this mess _logically_, like a Jedi should, Hinata would not be in there. Clenching his fists, Naruto looked down at his feet in shame.

"I'm sorry, Hinata..." he barely uttered the words, but Master Kurenai's keen ears easily picked it up. Naruto could feel her eyes now on him, her focus now bearing down on him with an intensity he couldn't bare. Of course, Master Kurenai must blame him, too. If Naruto hadn't gone in alone, he wouldn't have gotten bashed so badly by Pein, and Hinata wouldn't have had to run in to save him like she did.

"What did you say, Naruto?" Kurenai's voice came, making Naruto shiver. He did not want to hear her berate him for his screw up. He didn't know if he could suffer through it. So, he didn't answer her, but just continued to stare down. "Naruto, this is not your fault. What you did was brave, if a little foolish. But you did it to stop the killing of anymore Jedi. Who knew if there were more Jedi in danger? He killed _younglings_, Naruto. Without mercy. And Pein, he nearly _destroyed_ our Temple. If you had not intervened, who knew how many deaths would have been caused?"

"The... the Temple. How did it survive?" Naruto couldn't listen to her anymore, trying to relieve him of his guilt.

"When Orochimaru revealed his presence, we knew their must have been some covert operation going on. So, I took a squadron of Jedi and clones to search under the Temple. There, we found hundreds of chameleon droids, whose primary weapons are mines. So, as you fought Orochimaru, and then Pein, we were able to disarm enough mines to keep the Temple from being obliterated. But I felt the danger Hinata and yourself were in, and came as fast as I could. I just... wish I had gotten there sooner." Kurenai's mouth curved down in a frown, and she looked back up at her female Padawan.

"Did Pein die, Master? And what became of Orochimaru, as well?" Naruto asked, looking up.

"The snake and that monster escaped when the mines were set off." Kurenai let out a tired sigh, and Naruto could sense that she hadn't slept since the attack.

"Master, you should get some rest. If something were to happen, it would not do anyone any good if you were too tired to function." Naruto said, giving his Master a concerned look. She only nodded, but looked reluctant to leave Hinata. She pressed her palm against the thick glass of the tank, then walked away.

Naruto, feeling weak again, sat in one of the comfortable looking chairs beside the tank. He looked at Sakura, whose tears had finally stopped, and she now had a blank stare on her face. "Sakura... Are you okay?" She gave him a far off look, eyes unfocused. When she finally got a hold of herself, pulling her Jedi composure out of thin air, she nodded.

Naruto stood up and walked over to her. He could tell she was in need of comforting, and he knew of no other way to do it. So he hugged her, and being a head taller than her, he laid her head up against his shoulder. "I know you're not. Master Asuma was a great man, and he died protecting the younglings. They were all gathered in the mess hall when the Temple was attacked, and if he had not been there, they might have all died. His courage is unmatched by any Jedi alive today." Naruto, now that his mind was clear and functioning, could see it as plain as day. Asuma must have done his all to get the Initiates out before the snake Sith cut them all down. He probably died not because he was beaten in battle, but because he was more concerned for the young ones' safety, rather than his own.

Naruto's words must have hit her core, because Sakura's composure instantly fell, and she squeezed him in a tight hug. Her breaths came in ragged sobs and hiccups, as she cried on his shoulder. As the minutes past, he could feel the dampness through his robe. He rubbed his hand along her back consolingly, muttering praise about her Master, and the valor he showed. She soon hiccupped herself into silence, the tears finally stopping.

She looked up at him, and he stared into her bright green eyes. "I can see why Hinata likes you..." the girl muttered, and Naruto gave her a kind smile. She pawed at the damp spot on Naruto's shoulder for a moment, biting her lower lip. Then the Haruno let go of him, and she stepped back, rubbing her eyes. "I'm gonna go now..." And she looked back at Naruto, giving him a look of gratitude. "Thank you." She quickly left, leaving Naruto alone. Naruto let out a big breath that he had not known he was holding. He sunk back into the plush chair, feeling that he had encountered way too much emotion recently. Emotions he had no idea how to handle.

In fact, he was surprised he had handled Sakura so easily. In Jedi training, there had been no instructions on how to deal with emotions as unpredictable as these. The main teaching in emotion was that it was better for a Jedi to only feel compassion and serenity; nothing else. But, what if emotions went deeper than what he'd been taught? What if they were all linked together, and to be a fully functional being, you had to know all your mental states? After all, when Naruto had been caught off guard by the anger he felt while fighting Orochimaru, it had been hard to bring back under control.

Feeling sleepy, he gazed over at Hinata, who somehow seemed better. As if her condition wasn't as severe as it had been five minutes ago. Maybe it was from all the tension that had been released, all the unresolved conflicts from within being eased. As he stared at her, his eyelids began to droop, until they finally closed.

* * *

Naruto spent the next week helping to rebuild the Temple. Though they had disarmed several key mines, the Temple had nonetheless suffered severe damage. It was too cold to live in, so it had to be fixed enough to be sealed at the very least. And so, the clones worked hard alongside the Jedi, who used their Force powers to move the larger objects that would otherwise require machinery.

Now that the location of the Ilum Jedi Temple was known, it would have to be fortified. Elite Carpenters were on their way from Coruscant to make the plans and oversee the rebuilding. But until then, the Temple had to be made fit to live in. By the time the Temple was sealed from the cold once more, Hinata had awoken.

Now, Naruto stood alone in Hinata's room on Tsunade's ship.

"Hey... how are you feeling?" Naruto asked, looking at his friend. She sat in a chair that was suspended from the ceiling, wearing her normal Jedi garb, with a thick, hooded brown robe. She looked up at him, slowly, as if her neck was stiff.

"Better... I'm so glad you're okay, Naruto. I was worried... with those injuries he gave you... I didn't..." Hinata stumbled over her words, but Naruto only shook his head.

"Thanks to you, I'm perfectly fine. If you hadn't jumped in when you did, I'd have been minus a head. Thank you, Hina. You really came through for me." Naruto said, giving his Padawan friend a foxy smile. He liked the color that came to her face; it made him realize how much she had recovered.

At that moment, Tsunade's voice came from an overhead intercom."Everyone on board is heading to Hypori. We have urgent orders from Master Yoda to rescue the remaining Jedi. It seems the attack on a Droid Hive was only partially successful. Though the plant was destroyed, the attack squad was severely outnumbered by stockpiled Battle Droids."

Naruto exchanged a look of concern between them. Naruto helped his friend out of her seat, and took her arm, steadying her. They slowly made their way to the bridge, where they met up with Master Kurenai and a few other Jedi.

"We only have twenty or so healthy clones on board, and ten Jedi total, four of which are injured. We can't perform a rescue mission with such meager forces." Kurenai said, giving Tsunade a stern look. But the Healer just ignored her, pressing a few keys on her terminal. Naruto looked out the viewport as Tsunade pushed a throttle forward, and saw the stars stretch out. With a lurch, the ship entered a tunnel of swirling blue lights.

Kurenai almost glared at Tsunade, but she caught herself in time. Taking a deep breath, Kurenai calmed herself. Then she continued, "Well, Tsunade, my friend, how do you plan we rescue them?"

Tsunade turned her head just enough to give Kurenai a grin, "I'm going to put my shields at full power, land beside the survivors, and evacuate them to safety." Naruto could see a twitch at his Master's temple. What Tsunade was proposing was much easier said than done.

Kurenai left the bridge, with her two Padawans following. She led them to an empty lounge room, and immediately spun to face her apprentices. "Hinata, you are to stay on the ship. You are forbidden to help, no matter what. Understand?"

"Y-yes, Master Kurenai." Hinata said, rubbing at her neck. Kurenai nodded.

"Naruto, you and I will have to engage the enemy directly. The surviving Jedi reported a Sith... A powerful one. They implied he has some sort of special Force technique, so be careful." Naruto nodded. "Good... Meet up in the bridge when we begin our descent into Hypori."

* * *

His long red, furry ears protruded from slits in his sleek black helmet atop his head. The metal casing of his helmet covered his forehead, extended down between his eyes, and then trailed around the yellow orbs with black slits for pupils. His nose and mouth were left unprotected. But it only added to his demonic visage. His skin was of a dark red hue. He had jagged whisker markings running down his cheeks, and his sharp hellish teeth were bared in a vicious snarl. His black, shiny breastplate and shoulder pads would stop almost any kind of blaster bolt, and would resist glancing blows of a lightsaber, due to the layer of refined cortosis on his armor. His metal plated pants were also made with a layer of refined cortosis. A dark black, hooded robe clung to his shoulders, drifting down to his feet. He was Kyuubi no Kitsune Uzumaki and his prey: Jedi.

Twirling his dual lightsabers, he looked down at his newest victims. An Uchiha kid with his Master, a well-known man by the name of Kakashi Hatake. The Uzumaki man had left his massive army of Super Battle Droids behind, and advanced into the wrecked ship of the Jedi alone. He had slaughtered the ones foolish enough to approach him, and advanced to the makeshift barricade the surviving Jedi made. That was when he had met Kakashi and his Padawan.

"Bow to me, Jedi scum, and I will end your miserable lives of servitude quickly." Kyuubi growled out, bringing his full focus upon them. The weight of his concentration made them double over, but their knees did not give. "Your resolve is strong... But you _will_ bend to my will." He then redoubled his concentration, bringing his fullest power of the Force upon them. The boy crumpled to his hands and knees, gasping for breath. But his master, through all odds, straightened up, and gave Kyuubi an even stare.

"Your power may overcome a Padawan, but not a Jedi Master." The man said, flipping back his hood. A breathing apparatus covered the lower part of the man's face, and when he flicked his lightsaber on, it glowed a bright green. Both eyes were a deep black.

With a low chuckle, Kyuubi flicked his hand out, swiping the Uchiha Padawan away with the Force. He landed a good ten feet from Kyuubi, who was already advancing forward on Kakashi. The Jedi pulled back into a defensive stance, executing a classical Form V: Djem So stance. Kyuubi took up the stance of Form IV: Ataru, Way of the Hawk-Bat. He pulled into the initial stance of the Form, a balanced two-handed guard, holding one of his lightsabers vertically on each of his sides.

"Prepare for your death, Jedi." Kyuubi growled out then launched himself at Kakashi. The Ataru form called for the user to use the Force to enhance all aspects of their physical strength, and that was Kyuubi's specialty. Utilizing his enhanced speed, Kyuubi slashed at Kakashi's blade wildly, lashing out at the Hatake's right and left sides as rapidly as he could, not allowing for his opponent to retaliate.

When Kakashi's defense was beginning to seem unmovable, Kyuubi leaped over him, making stabbing movements at Kakashi, who had to twist and pivot to avoid the attacks. With a malicious grin, Kyuubi pressed a button on one of his hilts, which elongated his blade by a whole foot, catching Kakashi off guard. He slashed at the man's shoulders, earning a grunt of pain from the man. Lifting a foot, he slammed the bottom of his boot into Kakashi's chest, using the Force to launch the man twenty feet away, into a wrecked durasteel beam of the ship. He then retracted the blade to its original length.

The Uchiha boy leapt up, throwing a surge of the Force at Kyuubi. The man laughed as he deflected it with his own power, then brought one of his Sith blades up to parry the teen's blows. Then, he went toe to toe with the Uchiha, whose eyes changed to red, with three spinning tomoe around his pupil. It was a hypnotic trait inherited by his people and a trait only a few of them had. It was said to be a genetic gift that enhanced vision to super natural heights, as well as enhancing the Force ability for mind tricks.

The boy had two blades as well, so Kyuubi's fast attacks were more easily parried. But Kyuubi only focused his mind once more, bringing the full weight of his power upon the boy, who could not stand it any longer, and fell to his knees once more. Kyuubi let out a deep, guttural laugh, crossing his lightsabers around the teen's neck. "I sense the fear in you. The _hate_. You feel weak..." Kyuubi let out another vicious chuckle, "But you are powerless to stop your doom. Now die, Jedi scum." But his blades were knocked upwards, just as he crossed them to slice off the Uchiha's head.

A blond streak slammed into Kyuubi's nose, knocking the man back, and he deactivated his lightsabers as he fell. As he hit the ground, he rolled, and sprung back to his feet as a golden blade clashed against the floor where he had just been. Jumping high, Kyuubi managed to perch himself in a steel cage high above the Jedi below. As his new foe looked up, blue eyes flashed, and Kyuubi was overcome with vertigo. He clutched at a steel beam, memories of his Old Life flashing through his mind. A terrible pain ripped through his mind, and it was all he could do not to retch.

"N.... Naruto, my son." Kyuubi managed, staring down at his offspring, who he had not seen in sixteen long years. "You look... so much like your mother."

* * *

**Thanks for all your reviews on my last chapter. It helped a lot to motivate me into writing this. Because believe it or not, I was in a lot of pain while writing this.**

**A lot of you have been asking about Jiraiya, Anakin, and other characters. Well, Jiraiya will be in the story, and Anakin may pop up a few times, but he is not the main focus. I'll try to bring in a lot of both the Star Wars characters and the Naruto characters, but there's too many for them all to have their own story line.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading. And if you still enjoy the story, leave a review.**


	5. The Past's Pain

Blue eyes and long eye lashes flashed before Kyuubi's eyes, and he had to blink them away. _No, _he thought, _I will not think about her... It's more than I can bare._ But, as the law goes, by trying not to think of something , one finds himself inevitably thinking of it anyway. A small tremor swept the Sith's body as he could feel her smooth skin under his fingertips, which was impossible because he was wearing thick, black gloves. He could feel the brush of her lips against his own, which was insane because his face was scrunched in a painful snarl.

He could even feel her slender body atop his own as he had when they made love so long ago....

"Father... What do you mean?!" A demanding voice came from below Kyuubi, bringing the man out of his hallucinations. Yes... his son was below him. An enemy of the Sith.

Kyuubi stood up straight, attaching his hilts to his belt. He gave his son a steady look, "You've been well trained." He paused, taking a long sniff of the air, "But I can sense the turmoil within you. Yes... search your feelings. You know it to be true. And as you can plainly see, you have some of my best traits." Kyuubi flashed the blond boy below him a foxy grin, showing off his sharp teeth. But, as the man stared at his spawn, a pang of guilt ran through him. An icy blade was shoved through his heart. He really did look so much like his mother... Kushina Namikaze. _No!_ Kyuubi thought furiously, _I will _not_ think about her. _The two Jedi that Kyuubi had fought before Naruto intervened now made a run for the ship that Naruto no doubt brought with him.

The Uzumaki man didn't even care about the fleeing Jedi below him, who ran with such a fear that Kyuubi could taste it. And it was that very emotion that doubled his strength; gave him focus.

"Join me, Naruto. The Dark Side of the Force is strong, and will relinquish you of your sacrificial way of life. You do not know the pain of a Jedi; it is endless, unrelenting. It is a path that should be chosen, not born in to. Trust me, my son, you are on the wrong side." Kyuubi said, staring at Naruto with a contemplative look. The Jedi had took his son away, expecting him to _understand_ why. Expecting him to be _happy_ his wife was gone and child would be, too. _'Release yourself of attachment, you must. Dwell not on the death of Kushina. Merged with the Force, she has.' _The words of his master still rang in Kyuubi's ears. Kushina had been an excellent Jedi... more deserving of life than he. Kyuubi couldn't help but let out a low grunt of pain, as visions of his wife flashed before his eyes once more.

Cold nights shared together in the caves of Ilum. Dangerous missions on the unstable planet of Mustafar. High stakes spars in Cloud City, on Bespin. He could still hear her gentle giggle as she playfully fingered at his long, furry ears in bed.

"It is you who is on the wrong side, father." Naruto said, scrunching his brow in a determined look. "Hand your weapons over, and you will be tried fairly in the courts of the Republic." Arrogance... now that was a Jedi trait that has been well instilled in his boy. Time to teach his first fatherly lesson.

Hopping down from his perch, Kyuubi landed softly before Naruto. Now, with his focus back, and Naruto well within his range of influence, Kyuubi's special Force technique brought his son to his knees. As Kyuubi stared down at the struggling blond, he flicked his wrist out, using the Force to deactivate Naruto's blade. Then, pulling on it again, it sprung to his hand. "You are no match for me, young one." And, seeing another Jedi head for him, he launched the boy at the woman with a massive Force push. She managed to catch the Uzumaki teen, but stumbled and nearly fell from the momentum of the impact.

"Hurry, back to the ship!" He heard the woman yell.

"He has my lightsaber!" Naruto responded, whipping around to face Kyuubi's direction. But, the woman, who was obviously Naruto's Master, only grabbed hold of his shoulder and pushed him in the direction of the ship. As soon as they were out of sight, Kyuubi collapsed to the floor in convulsions of pain. He had not been physically wounded, but his emotional and mental scars had been ripped apart, revealing the raw meat underneath. All he could think about was her. Her bright blue eyes, her soft, red lips, her vibrant blond hair. Gritting his teeth, he murmured, "I'm sorry." As if the ghost of Kushina would rise up and forgive him.

* * *

Speeding away from Hypori, Naruto whipped around to face his Master. "What am I supposed to do without my lightsaber? I need to get it back!" Naruto then blinked, reeling his emotions in. His father, if that was who the man was, had wound him up. Dug deep into his mind, forcing these ugly feelings out. Suddenly ashamed of his outburst, Naruto hung his head. "I'm sorry for being disobedient, Master. Please forgive me." After a few minutes of silence, alone with his master in a spare room, Naruto looked up. He had thought that his Master had brought him to a secluded area to scold him. But, as he looked at her face, he could see she was deep in thought.

"You weren't supposed to meet him. We had no clue he was still alive..." She said, her thumb fingering at the hilt of her lightsaber on her hip. "Tell me what happened."

And so Naruto did. he described his brief encounter with Kyuubi as accurately as he could, emphasizing that he had felt great confusion and imbalance in the eddies and swirls of the Force around the man. Kurenai nodded, still tapping away at her hilt. "This changes everything, Naruto. Once the Council finds out Kyuubi is still alive..." It was at that point that Hinata walked in. The Hyuuga bore a look of confusion, as she stared at Kurenai.

"K-Kyuubi?" Hinata asked, her facial expression transforming into a blank stare. The color soon drained from her face, but burst back so suddenly and strongly that Naruto thought for a moment her heart had exploded. Naruto could feel something shift; something that he knew only a Force user could feel. And the shift had come from within Hinata. Everything seemed to slow down as Hinata pivoted her body to dash away, Kurenai quickly on her tail. Then, time was back to normal, and Naruto found himself chasing his Master.

"Hinata, wait!" Yelled Kurenai, but Naruto could already hear the hatch of one of the escape pods sealing. By time his Master and himself reached the pod bay, one was missing. "Dammit!" Kurenai whispered, clenching her fists, then quickly regained her cool. Turning to Naruto, she spoke quickly. "Get Tsunade to stay in orbit of Hypori. Do _not_ follow me. Without your lightsaber you cannot do what needs to be done. I need you to follow these directions. Now go!"

Naruto quickly hurried away, towards the bridge, hearing the sound of another pod being jettisoned. But the only thing Naruto could see was the look on Hinata's face after she had heard Kyuubi's name.

* * *

Kyuubi now stood at the edge of the destroyed Republic ship. It was night time, with only the bright stars to light the rocky landscape around him. It was fortuitous that the Uzumaki had superb eye sight at night. He had finally gotten over the pain of his past; it was easier once the sight of his son was out of his face. A whistling sound alerted him of the oncoming pod, and he looked up to see a fiery streak heading straight at him.

Wasting no time, he called upon the Force and launched himself to the side, just as the burning metal crashed into the destroyed ship behind him. Standing up and brushing himself off, Kyuubi looked back at the fiery mess. "The hell just happened?" He wondered aloud, squinting his eyes into the flames. A streak suddenly popped out of the fire, speeding straight at him as the pod had.

It was a young teenager, Jedi by the looks of her pony tail behind her right ear. And, without warning, anger and pain flooded his connection with the Force. It was all around him, like a dense fog. He barely registered his body moving into a defensive stance as if of its own accord. Then he saw two purple blades flashing out at him, and he immediately flicked on his own two lightsabers. The deadly weapons clashed in a cross.

"You bastard!" Screamed the girl, close enough now that Kyuubi saw the wide, pearly eyes of a Hyuuga. Ah... now that brought him back. The girl spun away from Kyuubi, then launched back at him, slamming her two blades rapidly against his own.

Regaining his focus, he poured his power into the Force, magnifying the gravity once more around him. But, the Hyuuga's connection with the Force was like a shield, slicing his technique around her like a barrier. Growling, he took the offensive, slashing overhead with one blade, and horizontally at her side with the other. She blocked these, then twisted out of his reach.

They stood there for a second, staring into each other's eyes. She harbored a hate of him; but it wasn't any normal kind of hate. It was the type of hate that could only be born through a lifetime of miserable suffering, compacting all the anger and cruel feelings into a small ball. And now, that small ball has erupted like a supernova.

"I'm going to give you one chance to leave, before I kill you." Kyuubi stated, flashing his demonic eyes. The girl stood there, glaring at him. He could feel the wish of death upon him; could taste the anger of the child. He now knew who this person was. "Ah... Hiashi's daughter. I should have killed you when I had the chance." This seemed to spark a new wave of fury within the girl. He smirked at the Jedi, inhaling her powerful aura. It was what being a Sith was all about. Feeding off the anger and turmoil of the ones around you. And there was nothing more satisfying than converting a self righteous Jedi into a cold blooded murderer. He would be doing her a favor; she wouldn't have to spend her life for others, only for herself and the Sith.

"You will pay for what you did to my family, you son of a bitch!" The teen yelled, spinning her lightsabers at her side as she advanced upon the Uzumaki.

"Yes... Feel the power that your anger gives you. Use it to fight me; use it to kill me!" Kyuubi roared, his full blooded heritage of the demonic beasts of the planet Konoha now pulsed in his connection with the Force. He welcomed death; would savor every moment of the peaceful nothingness. But he would not go unless he met someone worthy of taking his life.

The Hyuuga dashed forward once more attacking his right side rapidly, which he parried easily. "Come on, KILL ME!" Screamed Kyuubi, smashing his crimson lightsaber into her violet one, knocking it from her hand. She took a two handed grip of her lavender blade, but Kyuubi's two Sith blades smashed it from her hands easily enough. She stumbled backwards from the blow, and Kyuubi hooked his deactivated lightsaber hilts to his belt. Not giving her a chance to react, he was upon her, holding her up in the air by the neck.

She struggled, clawing at his hand, kicking him in the chest. He smirked up at her, slowly increasing the pressure. He would soon cut off her larynx completely, and she'd die from asphyxiation not long after. In a desperate move, the girl began kicking at Kyuubi's crotch, which only made him laugh. "My armor protects my most vulnerable areas, young Padawan." But, a spark flew through her eyes at that moment. Before Kyuubi knew what she was doing, the Hyuuga had grabbed a handful of his long, furry ears. He yelled out in pain, dropping the Padawan. He hadn't even thought about someone using his ears to hurt him in battle.

Kyuubi managed to get one lightsaber activated and in both hands as the Padawan rushed him with both of hers. She slammed violently against him, toppling the Uzumaki over. Both of her weapons and his own flew from their respective hands, forcing them to grapple with hand to hand combat once more. The girl had the advantage; she was on top of him, pounding at his face. He managed to block most of the blows, but she still managed to smash him once in the nose.

Using the Force, he threw her off, then leaped back to his feet. Summoning his hilt from the ground, and the one still on his belt, he activated his weapons once more. He approached his opponent slowly, letting the tips of his blades sear the rock at his sides. He could feel a small flow of blood drip down his face.

She was already in a stance, both lightsabers ignited. "I remember the sound of your father begging... groveling at my feet not to hurt you. But, I had to show him the pain of losing the ones he loves most. Unfortunately, he threw himself in my way at the last minute..." Kyuubi made a slashing motion with his blade, the red glow lighting up his eyes. "And bye bye daddy. Of course, I had no intentions of killing your mother... but she got in the way, too." He made another slashing motion, the glow shadowing his face deeply, giving him the look of a ghost. "And there goes mommy's head." The world around them began to get darker, until the only light left was the glow of the two Force user's respective blades. The purple light played softly across the Hyuuga's features, outlining her most beautiful attributes; and the few tears that fell from her eyes. But, by contrast, the crimson glow only made Kyuubi more demonic; more savage and dead looking.

"Your life ends here, you rotten bastard..." Hinata spoke softly, her voice even. Yes, that was her name. Kyuubi could still remember her parents screaming it out just before dying.

The soft glow of his sabers illuminate Kyuubi's dreadful smirk, "And now that I think about it, the rest of your family died trying to save you. The Princess Hyuuga, next in line to rule. Of course, the Empire collapsed after the Royal bloodline had ended, didn't it? Last I heard, your whole planet was in disarray..." And Kyuubi felt the change. The point of no return. He felt it in swirl all around the blackness... the odd blackness, for which there was no explanation. He finally felt her real intent; her determination to kill him no matter the cost.

And she attacked, her blows powered by the Dark Side of the Force. Her fury was her fuel; her rage was her backup. He could feel these feelings radiating off of her as she slammed time after time against his blades, unrelenting. She hammered away at him, in the darkness so black that even the lightsabers seemed to dim. If it had not been for Kyuubi's extremely acute eyesight, he knew he'd be fighting only relying on the Force to tell where to strike and where to defend. But, he knew that a Hyuuga's eyesight was just as good.

Smashing his blades into hers, they locked into a power struggle. He called upon the Force to aid him, and he could feel her do the same. But Hinata's connection was stronger; flowing from both sides of the Force. If it had not been for Kyuubi's immense strength, he would have been overpowered. But, as it stands, they struggled against each other' relentlessly, neither one about to give in.

Kyuubi growled in frustration; they were locked so close together that he could have licked the sweat off her nose. If he pulled from the lock, he'd be left open for attack. Likewise for her.

"Give in to the Dark side. I can feel your lust for death; for revenge. I can taste your turmoil. Let your power flow solely from the Dark Side. It is the only place where you can find the _power_ to defeat me." And now, Kyuubi's strength doubled, as he felt the Dark Side flow harder into the Hyuuga girl. She was almost there, almost to the point of total conversion. And the stronger she was with the Dark Side, the stronger Kyuubi became. He leaned in to the lock, forcing Hinata to bend backward. He was finally overpowering her, showing her the weakness of the Jedi. "Do you feel your weakness, young one? You can _never_ beat a Sith. No Jedi can." And that's when the barrier broke; and the Dark Side flowed freely into Hinata. Kyuubi could feel her strength grow, and he was forced back to an upright position.

"Die!" Hinata screamed, as a condensed ball of Force power hit Kyuubi square in the chest, knocking him off his feet. He was thrown back, and the farther he got from the Hyuuga, the less darkness there was, until he finally landed hard on his back, breathless, twenty feet from the girl. As he stared, he could only see a black abysmal nothingness where he had just came from. As if a black hole had appeared where Hinata was. And then, it vanished, with Hinata standing at where it's epicenter had been.

Gulping in air, Kyuubi stood, flicking on his dual blades. _She's unlocked her Force potential_, Kyuubi thought. It was a technique that a few powerful Sith develop when first using the Dark Side of the Force. Kyuubi began laughing maniacally. It was too late for her to turn back now; she had tasted the power. She was drunk on it, and he knew it was an addiction too strong to just abandon. As he stared at Hinata, her long, dark hair flowing down around her face, her pony tail seemingly unraveled, he knew her fate. She moved steadily closer, until she was only ten feet from where he was standing.

Kyuubi deactivated his sabers. "You don't know the truth of that day, Hinata. You don't even know the truth about the Jedi. So, let me elaborate for you. The Jedi forbid attachment; forbid a personal love for another. I loved once. It was the happiest time of my life. And, she was the most beautiful thing to ever grace its presence upon this Universe. But, the Jedi looked down upon our shared feelings. Tried to separate us. Your father was a Senator, a delegate of the Jedi Council. He appointed all kinds of restrictions upon the Jedi code. The Jedi agreed with his philosophies. And, when my wonderful Kushina died while giving child birth," Kyuubi's voice nearly cracked while saying it,"they wouldn't even let me see my son. Forbid me from even seeing my _wife _a final time. The Jedi council 'forgave' me," Kyuubi spat, "of my wrongful actions. Told me to meditate, to forget my attachments. But, as time went by, I couldn't help myself anymore. I couldn't bare the pain of losing both my love and my child. So, I snuck into the Temple's infirmary... and took my child. They sent a few powerful Jedi out to stop me, to try and convince me that this was the wrong path to take... so I killed them. All but one. My master, Yoda, managed to injure me enough to get my son, Naruto-" Hinata gasped at the mention of his son's name. Kyuubi looked at the girl, confused, but cautious.

That is, until it all clicked. Of course, she must have come from the escape ship. Which means she must have knew his son. Kyuubi just shook it off. "So, I eventually made my way back to the Hyuuga home world. It was Hiashi Hyuuga who imposed most of the restrictions upon the Jedi code. He was well versed in the ways of the Force, but could not use it. Many member's said a third party arbitrator, who was knowledgeable in almost all ways of the Force, would be able to discern better restrictions upon the Jedi code. And it was he who was the one who prevented me from seeing my son. It was too late for me to go back to being a Jedi, I was marked with murder. So, I did the only thing I could think of, which was to try and change Hiashi's view..." He gave Hinata an even stare.

"The Senators and Jedi are corrupt; they are greedy and intolerable to change. But, with your help, we can change the Galaxy." Kyuubi held out his hand, "Join me, as my apprentice, and you will know the power of the Dark Side. You will know how truly free life can be without the shackles of civilization depending on you to be its defender."

He could feel the conflict coming from Hinata. Could feel her struggle between the Light and Dark Sides of the Force. Between trusting Kyuubi and hating him.

"It's not the Jedi way," Hinata answered, biting her lower lip, but deactivating her lightsabers as well. "A-and you killed my parents..." He could feel her slipping from his grasp.

"Your parents were going to send you off to the Jedi Temple, to end every bit of contact with you. Hiashi was as strict on following the rules as he was on making them. If the Jedi Order never existed, both of us would be leading happy, free lives. I could be with my family on Konoha. You could be with yours on your home planet. It is the Order's fault for placing these duties upon us; duties that come with strict laws. It's a dictatorship, not a democracy, within the Order. They do not call upon votes from all the Jedi. The leaders of the Order sit up high and mighty in their Temple, making rules to keep the Jedi under their reign. Yoda is by far the worst, holding his position as leader for hundreds of years, making sure all Jedi conform to his ideals. And it's no wonder Jedi can't love another; Yoda is so fucking ugly that no one would love him. It's his way of making everyone else the same as him." Kyuubi softened his voice, stepping closer to Hinata.

"The Order is no place for you, Hinata. Come with me, and we can make everything right." Kyuubi tapped a small button on his belt, and it began flashing. "I'm calling my ship, and it's your choice to join me or not."

"But... Naruto... Master Kurenai." Hinata said, looking at the ground. But, Kyuubi could feel her darkness unwavering. The light was almost crushed out.

"It's too late for your Master. The Jedi Council only give the rank of Master to only the most blindly loyal of fools. But Naruto... he still has a chance. And unless you join me, he can never be free." That seemed to almost do it. Kyuubi could sense the strong attachment the girl harbored for his son, so he took it a step further. "If we changed the universe, you and Naruto could finally be together." Now, Kyuubi could sense it. She was finally his.

* * *

The pod landed softly near the fiery wreckage of Hinata's pod. Kurenai jumped out, sending out a probing tendril of the Force to detect if Hinata had perished in the destruction of the escape ship. With a sigh of relief, she sensed no trace of her Padawan. Turning her head slowly, she could see the massive army of Supers off in the distance. And, looking around even more, she could see two figures silhouetted against the night sky on the flat landscape. But, to her surprise, they weren't fighting. Just standing together, close enough for a lightsaber battle, but with no violence. She could just make out the extension of an arm, when she felt the dread hit her straight on.

Calling upon the Force, she made long, running strides to try and reach her Padawan, to stop what she knew must be happening. But, a ship was descending, and landed just as Hinata took Kyuubi's hand. Kurenai stopped, her eyes widening in horror. Taking a deep breath, she yelled out Hinata's name. But it was too late, they had already gone up the ramp of the ship, and it closed. "Damn," muttered Kurenai, turning around as the ship ascended from the ground.

She ran back to the escape pod, booted it up, and shot towards the sky. Pressing a few buttons on the touch-screen monitor before her, she contacted Tsunade's ship. "Quickly, get the coordinates of the small starship that's leaving Hypori."

"What's this all about, ma'am?" A clone trooper asked, his face appearing on the screen, clearly typing away at a keyboard.

"Hurry, before they jump to hyperspace!" Kurenai ordered, ending the communication. As she docked with the ship once more, she immediately ran to the bridge.

"Did you get the coordinates?" She asked, her head whipping around to see the person that answered. It was Tsunade.

"Their encryption code was too hard to break in such a short time; they got away." Kurenai tried hard not to collapse right there. Tsunade raised an eyebrow at her.

"Where's Hinata?" asked Naruto, walking up beside his Master. Kurenai gave him a long, hard look. She had thought, that if one of her Padawan's would join the Dark side, it would be Naruto. She knew all about Kyuubi being Naruto's father. She also knew about Hinata's family. But, she had never thought Hinata could remember something from when she was only a year old. "Kyuubi took her... She has joined the Dark Side, Naruto."

Naruto seemed to be physically hit; he took a step back, and shook his head. "No... Hinata would never give in..."

"Really, Naruto? You should know the temptation of the Dark Side better than most. You nearly fell to it once, as well. Except, Hinata was there to save you. And just like the time with you, I failed to get there in time. I'm going to consult Master Yoda about these new developments." Turning, Kurenai left.

* * *

Orochimaru stared at the hologram of Count Dooku, who was lecturing him on the proper appliance of the Dark Side during battle. But all Orochimaru could think about was the itch on his feet, which were no longer there. Also, he couldn't take his mind off the blinding pain in his lower thighs, where new, mechanical legs were being attached. Revolutionary artificial nerve connectors would allow him to have the feel of pressure in his new legs, but not much else. This would only allow him to gauge the strength at which they are moving, and trick his brain into thinking he still had legs.

Count Dooku's image stood beside the operating table as Orochimaru let out another grunt of pain. The Snake Sith glared up at the older man's face, which bore a look of great disappointment. "You will have to try harder, if you are to be of any service to the CIS." Dooku said.

"I will try harder. Just give me another chance," Orochimaru grumbled, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to block out the pain. "I need to get that boy. If I can't kill his Master or his girlfriend, I _must_ kill Naruto." Orochimaru let out one last scream, as searing pain shot up his legs and into his brain.

"Operation complete." Came the mechanical voice of the medical droid. Orochimaru immediately tested his new legs out by dealing a brutal kick into the main CPU of the droid. The hunk of metal crashed to the floor, and Orochimaru stood up to go searching for his clothes.

"That's the anger issue I was referring to earlier." Came Count Dooku's calm voice. How Orochimaru hated that snide, I'm-better-than-you voice. "And besides, I've just received a report from Kyuubi. He's leaving Hypori, to bring a new recruit to Darth Sidious. Hinata Hyuuga, the apprentice of Kurenai Yuuhi. I believe you know her as 'Naruto's girlfriend'?" Orochimaru slowly turned his head, to look at Dooku out of the corner of his eye. Now _this_ was interesting.

"And what of Naruto? He must have been near. Has he been killed?" Orochimaru asked, half hoping he was dead, half hoping he was still alive.

"It seems that he is the son of Kyuubi, and is now off limits..." Count Dooku said, eyeing Orochimaru's reaction warily. And he was right in doing so, because the Sith Acolyte exploded in anger.

"No! He's _mine_. _I_ should get to kill him, not that fucking hairball!" Orochimaru seethed, turning bodily to Dooku's image.

"He does not wish to kill the boy. It seems he wishes to convert him... And, I admit, we could use another Uzumaki on our side. But, I've ordered Kyuubi to kill him if he is unable to convince the boy to join the CIS."

"NO!" Orochimaru yelled, a pulse of Force exploding from within him without him even knowing it. The room's medical equipment imploded, and the walls crumpled oh so slightly. "The boy is mine! Order Kyuubi off, now! You said I'd have the chance to exact my revenge. Don't go back on your word, old man." The angry Sith glared into the eyes of the Sith Lord before him.

"I have not forgotten our arrangement. And, in fact, I have already done my part. You had your chance. On Ilum. You blew it, and even lost worse than even I could have predicted. Maybe I was wrong to free you. I should have left you and the Black Sun to ruin." Count Dooku glared at his subordinate with such intensity, that Orochimaru actually took a step back and lowered his head.

"I am sorry..." Orochimaru managed through gritted teeth. "I will continue to be loyal to the CIS and the Sith. And, as the leader of the Black Sun, I will help the Confederacy to win in any way I can."

"Good. Then there is still a reason to keep you alive. Very well, your next mission is with Pein again. I will send the mission briefing to your data pad, and I expect preparation to be complete within two weeks. The next Temple must fall." With that, Dooku's image disappeared.

"Fuck!" Screamed Orochimaru, slamming his fist into the nearest wall.

* * *

**Yeah, it's a slightly shorter chapter. And yes, not as much fighting in this one. But, with the next semester up and running again, it's hard to find time. Add to that some writer's block...**

**And, if you'd like to argue that Hinata would not have been converted so easily, think about it. Her parents were slaughtered before her when she was one. Fifteen years later, all the while harboring that pain and anger, she gets the chance to revenge her parents' deaths.**

**Now, add to that the vulnerability of her as she expresses all of her deepest, most raw emotions, Kyuubi plays on her love of Naruto. He can sense it within her, and uses it to show her how corrupt and cruel the Jedi are. And for those that may think that I had not foreshadowed this, look back at chapter one, and see the part where Hinata mentions a painful memory from when she was one to Naruto in the ice cave on Ilum.**

**Okay, with all that off my chest, thanks for reading. And, if you like the story, leave a review and make the writer happy.**


	6. New Masters

Kyuubi walked alongside the hooded figure with a deep, raspy voice, down a dark corridor in a deep, underground tunnel. He walked with none other than Darth Sidious, Sith Lord, leader of the CIS. Though his plans had been foiled, Sidious had not deterred from his original goal. To destroy the Jedi.

"Her power is of a quality and darkness which I have never felt before, Master. She is one of the rare few who have been gifted with a Sith Force technique. It has it's limits, like your Sphere of Influence, but has a much shorter range and is nowhere near as powerful. But, with time, and strict training, I believe she will be a great asset to our cause." Kyuubi said, moving at a casual pace beside the dangerous being. None could tell what this man was thinking.

"Yes... I felt her join the Dark Side, even from these many parsecs away. And she is still young; a perfect candidate to mold to our liking. And what of your son, Kyuubi?" The older man inquired, raising his deeply shadowed face to the tall Uzumaki.

"He will join us... Hinata will convince him." They turned a corner, and came to a complete stop. A brick wall blocked their path. Sidious waved his hand, and the bricks slid down to reveal another long passageway.

"Good, good." Sidious let out a small cackle, then continued. "Teach her to hone her technique. Teach her to _kill_, for I am afraid that she is not capable of it. To reach her full potential in the Dark Side, which is considerable, she must first break through the mental boundaries that the Jedi have instilled in her." They finally came into an opening; a large cavern with databanks of computers and holographic screens projected everywhere. Sidious stepped forward, placing a holocron into a port. Immediately, a star map projected around him.

"I will meditate on the location of the next secret Temple. I will know it in a few days." Sidious said, sitting in the center of the map, lowering his head, and placing his arms into the folds of his dark cloak. "Now leave me to it."

With a curt nod, Kyuubi twirled, his cape swishing as he did so. It was time to check up on his new apprentice. A fiendish grin overtook his face. He would train her. But, his methods of training did not have to be revealed or even overseen by the Sith Lords. He could do as he pleased with her. And he would. He'd make her into the most powerful Sith ever....

* * *

Naruto stood in the center of the High Council's room, as they questioned him on everything he had seen during his brief encounter with Kyuubi.

"Intense pressure, you say? Forced you to your knees, it did?" Yoda said, resting his chin on the top of his hands, which were supported by his cane. He leaned farther up in his chair and gave Naruto a thoughtful look. "Asked you to join him, didn't he? Revealed the truth of your lineage, he has." He nodded in a thoughtful way, glancing over at Obi-Wan, a Master on the Council.

"Were you... I mean, did you almost accept his offer?" Obi-Wan asked, looking fierce in his battle armor, which was smudged with black from a recent battle. He had a short beard, and had a youthful energy about him.

But, Naruto was nearly insulted by Obi-Wan's near accusation. "Of course not. I am a Jedi, not a Sith."

Mace Windu leaned back in his seat, glancing around the circle of Masters. Especially at Kurenai. "We've heard that a recently turned Sith has taken a very keen interest in you. And, we've also been informed that this very man we speak of is the leader of the Black Sun organization. He also asked you to join him, did he not?"

"Yes, Master." Naruto didn't understand why he was being interrogated. That had been years ago. Naruto glanced over at his own Master, but she looked away. "Is there something I need to know?"

A deep sigh came from the Grand Master, Yoda. "Tell him, we must." Heads all around the room, some holographic, others real, nodded.

Mace Windu took the initiative. He seemed to be good at being the bearer of bad news. "Young Padawan, your race is a powerful bunch, with Midi-Chlorian counts well above the average Jedi. It is true what you have found in the archives about some of the greatest Jedi to be of Uzumaki descent. But, just as often as not, the Uzumaki Jedi usually turn away from the Order. Your father is a prime example of this." He then folded his hands in front of his chin, staring at Naruto with a contemplative look.

Before Naruto could say anything, someone walked through the door. Long, extravagant robes of green and yellow hung from the man's body as he strode into the room. Long, red markings extended from his eyes to the base of his head. A large nose and deeply shaded eyes could be seen on the face, which had a large, stony looking forehead protector adorning it. It had a strange, archaic symbol upon it, which Naruto was not familiar with. Cracking a grin, the man said, "Sorry I'm late. I was busy saving the universe and what not. I.... Ah, what have we here? An Uzumaki? Hm... must be the young Naruto I have heard so much about." The man gave the boy a smirk, "So you are what the meeting is about."

Across the room, an old human male massaged the bridge of his nose. "Jiraiya, my old friend, you are late... again." It was Master Sarutobi, a senior member of the Council. He was nicknamed the professor, for his vast entries in the Jedi archives on all sorts of knowledge.

"Ah, my old Master. So nice to see you again." The man strode into the room, and took the only empty seat in the room, between Sarutobi and Mace. "So, what did I miss?"

"We were discussing the matter of the Uzumaki, and the patterns in their chosen paths of the Force." Mace explained, looking everywhere but at Jiraiya.

"Ah. Of course. They always pick the path that leads straight to the smell of a female. So, we are discussing young Uzumaki's love affairs?" Looking seriously at Naruto, "Who have you knocked up, boy?"

Naruto gave the new man an awkward look, and tried to hide his embarrassment.

Jiraiya looked back at Mace, gesturing a hand at the boy. "It's obvious he's a virgin, so why is he a here?" A deep groan came from all around the room.

"If you had been here on time, you wouldn't be in the dark." Mace answered, a vein pulsing in his head.

"Oh relax, I was just joking. Okay, okay. I'll handle this." Jiraiya stood up, strode over to the Padawan in question, and looked him straight in the eye. "Have you ever even seen a female naked?" Mace hopped out of his seat, while Naruto nearly fell on his ass.

"Control yourself, Master Windu." Yoda said, giving a brief shake of his head.

Jiraiya let out a hearty laugh, then strode over to pat Mace on the back. "I'm only joking with you. Now, we can get down to the real business. I know what you are all thinking." Mace gave the odd Jedi a bewildered look, then took a seat.

"Then elaborate for us. We are obviously wasting time discussing matters amongst ourselves, instead of participating in meaningless bantering." Master Windu said, attempting to regain his cool.

Jiraiya nodded gravely, then paced around the Uzumaki Padawan. "You have gathered here today to discuss the matters of Kurenai's skills as a Jedi Master. Perhaps we were too brisk in asking her to assume the rank of Master. That is the core of the matter, is it not?"

"You were always one to state matters bluntly." Sarutobi said with a sigh, giving Kurenai a sympathetic smile.

"And the fact that she took on two Padawans at the same time, without even having the experience of training one apprentice first, shows how wrong her judgment can be." A few nods and murmurs came from the assembled Council members. "And, with one of her Padawans now on the Dark Side, we must question Young Uzumaki's judgment as well. He has found his father to be Kyuubi, who has taken his fellow apprentice into the Sith. Now, we all know the Uzumaki tree of Jedi. All of them great in skill, but not all of them great in the Light Side of the Force. Many have turned against us, all for common reasons. Some of the very reasons his race is dying out." Jiraiya gave Naruto a hard look.

"I will explain to the Padawan what happens when a full fledged Uzumaki male marries into another race of lesser body strength. Due to an Uzumaki's heritage, they grow at a much faster rate than, say, a human, in the womb. Also, they are more active while developing inside the mother. We'll use my own Apprentice's situation as an example. She secretly married your father, Naruto. She was only a human, and when she became pregnant, she fell ill. And during your birth, she lost too much blood to survive, accompanied with internal injuries." Jiraiya turned toward the observing members of the Council, "But, Naruto is only half Uzumaki, so the effects will not be as strong if he ever decides to impregnate another being. Now, we cannot forbid any race from sex. It happens, and in some cases, is needed to maintain a healthy state of mind and body. But, many times, it comes with attachment. This is how your father failed, Naruto. He became too attached to stay focused, to stay true to his teachings. He _slaughtered_ the whole Hyuuga Royal bloodline, save your friend, Hinata."

Naruto blinked his eyes a few times, trying to process all this extra information that was being fed to him.

"It is also somewhat how your own Master failed." Jiraiya gave Kurenai a long look, then looked back at the teen in the center of the room. "You may not have noticed it, but she was blinded by her own attachments towards Asuma. When he died, she had consulted with me heavily, telling me all about you and Hinata. You see, I was Kurenai's Master as well. She failed to use the Force to guide her, and let you face Kyuubi alone while she made sure the beaten Jedi escaped from Hypori. Of course, she had no idea it was Kyuubi. But, if she had not been concentrating on Asuma's death, she would have sensed it. Same for sensing Hinata outside of the door." Jiraiya expressed a brief air of regret, as if his student's shortcomings were his own. But it was gone as quickly as it had come.

Stepping closer to Naruto, Jiraiya continued. "I have filled you in with all the details as I know them. And now, I think it is in the best interest of everyone if I was to oversee your training for now." Kurenai made a small, bewildered cough.

"M-Master? Do you really think me so incapable of training my Padawan of three years?" Kurenai stared up wide eyed at Jiraiya, whom only nodded. Instantly, the women cast her gaze to the floor, obviously stung by her Master's bluntness.

"From now on, you will accompany me on my missions, and I will teach you everything you need to know about how to be the best Jedi possible. There are certain aspects of Jedi training that normal proctors overlook. But we will discuss these further later..." Tossing Naruto a lightsaber hilt, he told Naruto to wait outside the door.

As soon as the doors closed behind Naruto, the whole room erupted in voices. Jiraiya took his seat, and gave each and every member a smug smile. "Situation handled."

"No, it most certainly is not. He is obviously imbalanced. He needs to stay in the Temple, and be examined by _every_ member of this Council, not just you. Believe it or not, there is more than just you in the decision making process of the High Council." Mace said, the vein in his bare forehead throbbing now to the point that Jiraiya thought it would explode. Many members agreed with Mace.

"Listen, instead of spending hours of deliberating and negotiating, I wrapped this whole session up in a matter of minutes. Besides, this will give my young apprentice time to recover from her loss while I teach Naruto the fundamentals of basic living." Jiraiya said, turning his hands up in an innocent gesture. He could see Kurenai staring at her feet across the room, and felt an inward pang of guilt. But, that, too, was soon gone.

"Bold, are your moves, Jiraiya. But, just as wise, they are. For, this change of Masters, I am." Yoda put in softly, scrambling from his seat. "Business elsewhere, I have." As he left, he motioned his head for Kurenai to join him.

"Though the boy didn't get the chance to speak freely. I did not feel anything strange about him. So, I am for this decision, as well. If you'll excuse me, my Padawan is waiting. We are heading off to confront a CIS space fleet soon." Obi-Wan stood, stretching his body as he did so. As he left the room, a few others followed, saying that they also agreed.

"Will you ever learn, my old apprentice, to be more subtle?" Sarutobi said, just before leaving as well after confirming that he supported Jiraiya's actions, as well. Now Jiraiya and Mace were the only ones in the room.

"I must admit that you do embrace the more... lenient parts of the code, but you are a great Jedi. If your method works, perhaps he will be one less worry for us during these troubled times." After a long time, Master Windu nodded, standing up. "Good luck." Then he too, left.

"Ah, I love it when I'm right." Jiraiya said, strutting through the exit doors of the room. "Come, my young Padawan, you have much to learn." Naruto stepped into Jiraiya's stride, as he made his way to the hangar. "Forget what they've taught you on Ilum; they are wrong. The Jedi Code only _encourages_ a life of simplicity; it is not a requirement. Of course, with the wide spectrum of species that are Force-sensitive, it can't be too strict. After all, how can Humans expect every living being to abide by their sanctions and regulations? For people like you and I, Naruto, the door to life need only be opened for it to be enjoyed." Suddenly stopping, he turned to Naruto, with a serious look on his slightly green face, his wart riddled large nose was scrunched up.

"But, young apprentice, you must always remember to keep a light heart. You must _never_ wear it on your sleeves. And, as the Jedi Code instructs, attachment is absolutely forbidden. I find that traveling helps, always being active and moving. That way, you can't get accustomed to the style of one life or the other. Never sleep with the same woman twice... Unless you need one for the road." Jiraiya gave the boy a wink, then began moving again. "However, young one, friendships are okay. You and I, we can become best pals, and it should have no effect on our paths as Jedi. I'll die for you if you'll die for me, get it? It's a mutual relationship. But it's the women you gotta watch out for..." Turning his head left and right, Jiraiya stopped and leaned down to the teen. "Let them get a hold of your seed and they'll latch on like a Rancor killing its victims."

Naruto let out a small chuckle, which earned a clap on his back from his new Master. "Now there ya go, my boy. It's nice to see you are capable of more than one emotion. Now, on to business.... Can you drive?" They had arrived in the hangar, and were standing in front of an expensive looking speeder. It was a long and sleek two-seater. Naruto slowly shook his head, admiring the beautiful piece of equipment. Jiraiya cracked a grin, shoving the key drive in its port, the only indication of its activation was the low whine of the state of the art engines. "No time like the present."

* * *

Hinata stared at her hands. She sat alone in an expansive white room, meant for sparring. She had been dumped in this rotten, inescapable place since she had joined Kyuubi in his ship. The second the ramp had closed behind her, she found herself in this room. It had been three days, by her counting, since she had woken up. She had not eaten or had a drop of water to soothe her thirst the whole time, and had recently began hallucinating.

"Why did I do this..." her raspy voice managed to utter, as her mind went over its plan. Kyuubi's words had hit her true, and she didn't like the idea of being a Jedi anymore. Also, she had no intentions of losing the power that the Dark Side had given her. Her original idea had been to blindside Kyuubi while his guard was down, and lop off his head. She'd find her own way to win Naruto's love.

But now, she found herself thinking how foolish she was to have thought she could fool a Master of the Force. He had obviously sensed her intentions, and locked her up here to die. Now that Hinata's voice was cracked from the yelling and screaming, her fingernails bleeding from where she had clawed all around the room, trying to find a way out, all she could think about was Naruto. She had never even kissed him! So many opportunities; she could have sneaked one in while he was unconscious in her lap all those years ago when Orochimaru had injured him. She thought he might not make it, but she figured a kiss would be like a goodbye, and she was not prepared to lose him.

Now, she wished she hadn't wasted most of her life beating around the bush. But here she was, propped up against the wall, nearly lifeless, visions of Naruto hopping from wall to wall. She had attempted to use the Force, but she seemed to have a mental block. She figured it could be from her connection with the mysterious energy had been changed, and she did not have the anger to bring forth the new type of Force she was now able to access. And, with her mind too plagued with dark thoughts, the Light Side seemed to be rejecting her calls.

On countless occasions these past few days, she had spent hours just lying in a heap, weeping. She had never felt so alone in her life. So helpless. And she was ashamed of her frailty, which made her hate herself all the more.

"Release your hate. Let it flow out of you in billowing waves of pain." A cold voice spoke from seemingly everywhere. It instantly gave her focus; something to direct all of her emotional turmoil. She needed an outlet desperately; she longed to be rid of the burning feelings inside of her.

Very wobbly, she stood up. "Where... Are you... you mother fucker?" She breathed, propping her side up against the wall for support. She soon became aware of the smell in the air, and she closed her eyes in a dry sob, her hate growing all the more. The room didn't have a toilet of any kind, and she had been forced to pick the corner farthest from herself to go....

"I hate you, you son of a bitch!" She screamed, tears running down her face. She balled the hatred up inside her. But, she knew it still could not be enough. For days, she had not been able to sleep; the bright white light would not let her. But now, everything seemed to be getting darker....

"Yes, you feel it now." Came a cold, cackling laugh. How she hated the man. She had to focus on him, imagining every detail of his demonic visage. She squeezed her eyes tightly, remembering all the tortures and pain she had been put through because of this man, recently and in the past. Suddenly, the connection came bubbling forth, stronger than she had ever felt it.

It flowed through her and from her, revitalizing her to the point where she could stand on her own. The more of its power she felt, the more she wanted. And, the more she got. Her hate doubled, her pain tripled, and her powers were set forth with a fury she had not known any person could hold inside. It exploded out of her, slamming the walls outward. She stretched out her body and let a terrible scream from her lungs, pushing every bit of power from each and every cell within her.

It continued to gush out, colliding with the four walls of the now pitch black room. She could hear the squealing of metal as the room finally exploded, and she fell to her knees. She hacked and coughed, her small frame rattled to the core, and empty of all energy. Her spasms soon ended, and she lied there, hair covering her face, spit dribbling down the side of her mouth. She was only half conscious, but still aware enough to hear the reverberating footsteps approaching her.

"Always remember that feeling. Always remember that power. The Dark Side is unending with its bounties. The more refined your hatred is, the more powerful you become...." Taking a long drawl from the air, Kyuubi continued, "Put these on after cleaning yourself up. You're a mess." He dropped a bundle of clothes beside the Hyuuga, who lied there, worn out, in her own, nasty Jedi garb. Hinata had to clench her teeth as a shiver of pain ran through her, as well as a desire to kill Kyuubi that was so powerful that it gave her enough strength to grab his ankle.

"Y-you... bastard." She gasped, then fell into a coma-like slumber. Kyuubi merely smirked.

"Your power will be unsurpassed before I'm through with you." Placing a gallon of water next to Hinata's head, he left the area, droids beginning preparations for the next stage of her training.

* * *

Screaming, Naruto jerked the controls backward, pulling out of a steep dive into a straight plummet at the sky. Jiraiya raised his arms up in a whooping yell of excitement. It was all Naruto could do to spin the speeder in elaborate patterns, avoiding the heavy air traffic of Coruscant.

A very large durasteel transporter plummeted at the two Jedi, which would have hit them dead on, had Jiraiya not initiated the energy boost when he had. Now, the Toad Master laughed wholeheartedly as Naruto screamed in terror, the inertia and kinetic energy forcing Naruto back in his seat, barely able to grip the steering grips, let alone steer the rocketing craft.

"Loosen up!" Jiraiya yelled over the surge of air in Naruto's ears, and the boost finally died down. Immediately, Naruto found a place to park the cursed piece of machinery, immediately jumping out into the random hangar.

Seriously shaken, Naruto yelled, "That was reckless! We could have died!" Jiraiya merely leaped from the speeder, clearly unabashed.

"Nonsense, we were perfectly safe. Trust in the Force, Naruto. Let it guide you, as it did just now. Do you think we are here by accident?" Jiraiya said, with his best wise-old-man face. Naruto looked at his new master with wide, shocked eyes.

"Master, I mean no disrespect when I say this, but, how the _hell_ did that have anything to do with the Force?" Naruto said, turning from Jiraiya out of anger. And what he saw there made his jaw drop.

Jiraiya came up to his new Padawan and gave him a clap on the back. "Good job, you brought us to our destination safely and efficiently. Must be a new record, crossing hundreds of miles in only a few short minutes. That is, of course, without a Hyperdrive or anything fancy like that. Now, let us be off." He strode forward.

But Naruto could only stand there, shocked, staring with awe at the massive Republic star fleet that was before him. It stretched far into the distance, where his own superb eyes could not see. Quickly catching up with his Master, he inquired," But, Master Jiraiya, how did you know I'd come here?"

Nor breaking his brisk pace, the man answered, "It is simple. The Force is strong with you; flows around you. It guides your movements without you even knowing it. It is a gift few have. It's in your genes, as it is in mine. And it's this trait that allows us to move at such a reckless pace, because, well, we have unimaginable good "luck", through our use of the Force subconsciously. It's one of the many lessons that I will be teaching you as your new Master." They passed battalions of clones who were standing in formation, preparing to load into the massive star cruisers.

"But, isn't it a bit... ah, irresponsible? We can't just move so fast and not think of the safety of others." Naruto said, as they continued their trek through the massive hangar bay.

"Naruto, did we hurt anyone on the way here? No? Then don't worry about it. Didn't they teach you not to worry about the future or the past, and stay in the present? This is exactly what we are doing by moving so fast and 'irresponsibly,' as you put it" Jiraiya answered, a little impatiently. "Just do whatever I say, kid, and we'll get along just fine. And, I can feel your sudden worry through the Force just now. Your old Master will be fine. In fact, it's better that you had not said goodbye. Don't dwell on it."

Naruto hadn't thought he was leaking his thoughts through the Force, but Jiraiya had appeased his worry for Kurenai. He was beginning to like this guy. He seemed to be making everything much more simple for the young Uzumaki.

They soon found a smaller cruiser, with newly built Hyperdrive system. They ascended the ramp and made their way to the bridge, where they found a congregation of Jedi. The room silenced as Jiraiya and his Padawan stepped through the door.

"Master Jiraiya...! We had not anticipated someone of your caliber to be joining us on this mission." A Twi'lek woman spoke, standing straight in the presence of the Master Jedi. Jiraiya nodded, suddenly undertaking a wise, benevolent personage.

"I would risk my life to save any Jedi. I expect you all to do the same. On this mission, my accomplice and I are to aide you in any way we can. We will be on the front lines in this battle, and save as many lives as we can. We will fight with the swiftness unseen by any before." Getting close to the light green woman, who had a double sided lightsaber hilt on her hip, he looked deep into her eyes. "For, while I still have blood pumping through my veins, I will strive to save any of the young blood from being spilt."

Taking a closer look at the blue Jedi, it would reveal her long, shapely head tails twitched at the tips. Also, one could note the quickening of her breath as Jiraiya drew closer to the female Twi'lek, speaking in a soft voice. Soon enough, the young woman was putty in Jiraiya's hands, and he laid a hand across her slender waist. Giving Naruto a wink, the couple left the room.

Naruto turned away from the door where his Master had just exited, and studied the large room that he was in. Several Jedi were staring him down, some human, others of varying species. Soon enough, Naruto found himself a comfortable chair to slide into and wait for his Master. And now that he was finally standing still, he felt the need to move, to be active. Maybe Jiraiya's training was already taking effect.

* * *

Several hours later, Jiraiya returned to his Padawan alone. His clothes were ruffled, but he had a satisfied smile plastered on his face.

"Your next lesson begins now, young one. Sex." Jiraiya took a drink from a passing by servant droid, downing the contents of the mug in one go. With a burp, the man continued. "It is a necessary act to keep a healthy mind and body. Especially for a race such as yours. But, as I have already told you, you must never get attached. The best species to engage in this kind of relationship is a Twi'lek, for obvious reasons. They are a race that knows little of attachment; as well as having bodies of a goddess. Now, if you ever find a Jedi Twi'lek, as I just did, they will usually be more than happy to share a few moments with you, for their sake as well as your own." Giving the slightly embarrassed teen a smile, he nodded as if reading the boy's mind. And, as it stands, that wasn't very far from the truth.

"I know you're inexperienced, but practice makes perfect. If you don't do well the first time or so, it won't matter. At the pace we'll be going, it won't be likely you'll ever see her again. As you experience the fruits of different species, you'll gain a vast knowledge of what technique to use, and what buttons to press. It's always more satisfying if you meet her needs as well as your own." Grabbing another drink, he downed it, then nodded at a light green Twi'lek on the other side of the command room.

"Some pointers for that species. They admire strength and status. The ends of their lekku, or head-tails, are a very sensitive area, and will easily get them off--if you make the mood right. Once you get across the message that you want to have casual, meaningless sex, they shouldn't have any problem leading you to the nearest, empty room...." He then gave a wild grin, "Or, something kinky, like the most crowded room you can find. Whatever your pleasure or fantasy, a Twi'lek will fulfill it."

"Master Jiraiya, I'm not sure if I'm even ready for this sort of thing...." Naruto said, glancing at his feet.

"Kid, that's completely the wrong attitude for this sort of thing. You have to be confident, even if you don't feel it, at least try to sound it. Now, I want you to try it out for yourself. The green one looks a little lonely, and she's the only other Twi'lek Jedi on the ship. Just walk up to her, and do exactly as I have taught you. You'll do fine; they love beginners." Giving his Padawan a little wink, he waved him away.

Feeling strange, Naruto put on his best attempt at being cool and laid back, even though his whole body was on the verge of breaking into a nervous sweat. But, after connecting with the Force, a natural calmness overtook him. He walked up behind the beautiful woman, and tapped on her shoulder.

* * *

Hinata slammed the golden blade that she had been given into Kyuubi's two Sith blades. "I will kill you, you sadistic mother fucker!" Screamed the Hyuuga, directing a violent wave of Force at the man. It hit him full on, but he stood his ground. He smacked Naruto's former lightsaber downward, sweeping the lightsaber in his right hand horizontally at Hinata's head. She ducked and rolled, coming up behind the man.

Without even looking, Kyuubi blocked the oncoming attack at his heart from behind by sweeping the blade away. Spinning, he faced the angry girl once more. It had been a week since he released the young girl, and he had put her through hell every day after it. She had just gone through ten waves of training droids, which had multiple levels of difficulty, and a variety of weapons, one including the lightsaber which she held in her hand. Yes, she had to face each of the droids without a weapon of her own to begin with.

"You have grown strong, my young apprentice, in this short time." Kyuubi stated, locking his two blades against her one. He had only come into the room to congratulate her on her surviving his near impossible tasks, when she had assaulted him with her newly acquired weapon.

"You asshole. I _will_ kill you, no matter what." Hinata said coldly, but Kyuubi could sense the pain which he had put her through still bubbling into the flow of the Force.

"When that day comes.... _If_ that day comes, you will have earned it. But until then, you have more training to do..." Kyuubi said with an evil smirk crossing his face. A wild scream came from the girl, who instantly attacked him with a new ferocity he didn't know she could even have after what she had done.

Moving the golden blade with a speed Kyuubi was not sure he could match, Hinata bashed repeatedly into both of Kyuubi's blades, eventually knocking them apart, making his arms spread wide open. Instantly taking the opening, Hinata lunged forward with her blade, point first, straight at Kyuubi's heart. At the last second, Kyuubi was able to call upon the Force to knock her aim off slightly, allowing the blade to slide against the cortosis armor, leaving behind a melted, jagged hole. But, nevertheless, Kyuubi was unharmed.

Kicking Hinata into the chest, Kyuubi successfully knocked the wind from her lungs, and the golden lightsaber retracted into its hilt, which spun out of Hinata's hand and into Kyuubi's outstretched palm. Attaching the re-acquired weapon to his belt, Kyuubi turned from the girl. With each passing day, her life became more intertwined with the Dark Side. But, he had to make her _want_ to be a Sith. She had the desire for power, as well as the desire to part paths with the Jedi.

"Your training will no longer keep you in captivity.... From now on, you will be accompanying me wherever I go. But, pick your time to betray me wisely, for the next time you attack, I will not hesitate to kill you. Until that day comes, I _will_ be true to my word, and help you get Naruto." Kyuubi walked from the room, feeling the explosion of mixed feelings erupt from Hinata into her connection with the Force. But the strongest of them all was relief, relief to be rid of the wretched room where she had spent sleepless days and nights in anguish, jumping through hoops for Kyuubi, testing her skill and building her darkness.

And, Kyuubi could feel that Hinata had decided to bide her time, until after she had acquired Naruto's affection before attempting to kill him again. With a smug grin, Kyuubi thought, _Everything is going according to plan_.

* * *

**Wow, that was actually a lot easier to write than the previous chapter. Especially the parts concerning Jiraiya, I think he's now my favorite character in the story.**

**As always, I welcome your opinions in the form of reviews. Got anything further you'd like to discuss, outside of leaving some feedback in a review? Contact me via FanFiction PMs.**

**I hope some of the content in this chapter explains some things to you, and appeases the minds of those who disagreed with the last chapter.**

**Thanks for reading, and leave a review if you still enjoy the story.**


	7. Battle for Corellia

Naruto looked over at the green woman laying next to him, who dozed peacefully with her hand upon his chest. He bit his lip, then looked up at the ceiling. His hands were clasped behind his head, and he felt a relaxation of which he had never felt before in his life. As if any tension that had been building up until a little while ago had now vanished.

His first time had been embarrassing; he had never felt such pleasure before, and it kind of caught him unguarded. But, the woman, who was only a few years older than he, had understood perfectly well. And now, a few hours later, they were both fully satisfied.

But, now that he finally had the chance to rest since his hearing with the Council, Naruto's mind began to wander to recent happenings. He now knew why Jiraiya had kept him on the move, and encouraged him to find solace in a woman's touch. He didn't want Naruto to think of the past, or the future.

And as the slender female beside him stirred a little bit, as if sensing Naruto's oncoming stress, he couldn't help but to think of his friend who had turned to the corrupted side of the Force. Hinata, a girl he had known as far back as he could remember, was now on the opposing side of the war. And, Naruto felt a pang of guilt within him, as if it was somehow his fault. And, unbeknownst to the teen, it _was_, in a way.

Clasping the soft hand on his chest gently, he gave it a small, tender kiss on the knuckles and placed it beside him. As stealthily as he could, he slipped from underneath the warm covers, and got out of the comfortable bed. Picking up his clothes, he placed on his undergarments and tunic, then crept from the room. As he walked down the hallway of the living quarters part of the ship, he placed his utility belt upon his hips.

He entered a Jedi meditation room, then took a seat upon the raised meditation pads. He had to clear his mind; go over every single detail of the past few days. A few minutes later, and he was deep into the trance of the Force, sensing the swirls and ripples of the mysterious energy. He extended his awareness, trying to feel his friend's presence. But, it was no use. She was probably far away from this side of the galaxy, on some remote planet where the Sith are stationed. He was not a Master of the Force, so he lacked greatly in this more refined technique of the Jedi.

"Hey, kid," Came a familiar voice from behind the Uzumaki, and he turned to see his Master, Jiraiya, sporting a grin. "Let's talk outside." He whispered, motioning his head at the door.

When they were both out of the silent room of Jedi, the man clapped his apprentice on the back. "You did well, boy. You even left, before either of you got well acquainted. You're a natural."

Naruto looked down at his feet and asked, "Is this right, Master? Isn't it wrong to do this to women, as well as to my own heart?" Jiraiya gave the boy a contemplative look.

"You're doing it again," Jiraiya said, with a dramatic sigh and a shake of the head. Naruto looked up at the man with a confused expression.

"Doing what?"

"Thinking! Let the Force be your guide, and you can't go wrong. Tell me, did that not clear your mind; empty you of all your troubling emotions?" Jiraiya said, passing Naruto, beginning a walk. Naruto quickly fell into step. _Always on the move,_ Naruto thought.

"Well, yes, Master. But, what if she didn't understand the type of relationship I wanted to have with her? A one night stand? Maybe when she awakes, she'll feel used and hate me for it. Perhaps that will be her downfall to the Dark Side." Naruto said seriously, looking up at the tall man, who was a head taller than he.

Jiraiya responded with a laugh. "Trust me, boy, women don't put out quickly when they expect a long term relationship. She had full understanding of your intentions. Besides, this is why I told you to go for the Twi'lek. They understand these types of things. She will wake up, refreshed, and ready for the burden of being a Jedi once more. But, for one night, you gave her the gift of reprieval of being a Jedi. And you felt it, as well. It's a mutual relationship, not a parasitic one. But, other species may not be so understanding, especially humans. Different species have different morals, and different cultures. It's very complex to get your game just right. If you're not upfront with your intentions, then _yes_, it is wrong. But, if they understand completely, it's perfectly okay. Of course, you can't just walk up to a lady and say, 'Let's have sex!' But, you seem to have done well with whatever you said. You have to be intimate, as well as reserved. Get it?" Jiraiya looked down at his Padawan, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" Naruto said, looking away.

"You've been thinking about the past, haven't you? That's why you were in the meditation room, right? It's your friend, Hinata, isn't it?" Jiraiya said, another sigh escaping his lips as they continued their seemingly aimless trek across the ship.

"Well, yes. I can't just erase a lifelong memory of her, now can I? She risked her life numerous times to save my own." Naruto said, looking back at his Master.

"Naruto, if the Force wills it, you will meet her again. And, that is the time you should think about her. Until then, we live in the here and now. Aren't you even curious about your new lightsaber?" Jiraiya asked, moving on to a new subject.

"I hadn't really gave it much thought." Naruto picked it from his belt, and switched it on. A bright, golden blade slid from the hilt, making Naruto gasp. But, upon examining the hilt, he knew it was not his own. It had better craftsmanship, looking as if it had taken years of painstaking work to finish. But, as he gripped it with both hands, and then one, it was the perfect size for him. Deactivating it, he looked up at his Master, who wore a bright smile.

"Search your feelings, Naruto. You know who this belonged to." Jiraiya said softly, his voice expressing a tender tone which Naruto had never heard from the man before.

Naruto stopped, and his Master paused beside him as well, turning bodily towards the teen. A few tears dripped from Naruto's eyes, as he stared down at the beautiful hilt in his hands. "It was my mother's." A lifetime of memories and experiences now seemed to radiate from the warm metal in his hands. As if the essence of his mom had been planted into the Force Crystals that gave it power. This was not far from the case.

* * *

Sitting at a table in a pub on the ship, Naruto looked across at his Master, who was tinkering with his own lightsaber hilt. Naruto noticed that the man's legs were bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, in a pattern that seemed to be a repetitive beat of the song that was playing. The man could never stop moving.

"Master, tell me about my mother." Naruto said, half expecting Jiraiya to decline reminiscing about his late apprentice.

Looking up from his work, Jiraiya gave Naruto a long stare, seemingly thinking on whether he should or shouldn't. He must have decided it wouldn't have been a problem. "She was beautiful, your mother. Long blond tresses, gorgeous blue eyes. Hips that were perfect..." He rambled on, making Naruto sigh.

"I meant, what was she like personality-wise?" Naruto said, exasperated, leaning back in the comfortable chair. He looked out at the crowd of uniformed soldiers. The clones and recruits of the Galaxy wore the same armor, but there were different colorations to separate the two groups of soldiers. Some Jedi wore the Clone armor, while others tended to keep their own style of clothing.

"Well.... your mother was the sweetest thing I ever laid my eyes on. She may very well have been the only person I ever let myself get close to. Now, if anyone knows how corruptive attachment is, kid, it would be me. I know what your father went through when she died, and I almost sympathized with him. But, what he did afterwards was unforgivable. He killed Jedi, kid. And he still does. That's all I'm going to say on the matter." Jiraiya began working on his lightsaber once more, and Naruto understood he should drop the subject.

Looking around the large, darkly lit room with flashing lights, he spotted the woman he had been in bed with only a few days before. She gave him a smile and a wink, before walking out of sight. He surmised that she harbored no hard feelings for him.

"Master, where are we headed?" Naruto said, wondering why the question hadn't came to him sooner.

"It seems my method of living in the present is starting to take effect. Took you a whole week to ask that question. We are not heading anywhere, we are already there." Jiraiya stood up, attaching his lightsaber to his belt. Motioning for his apprentice to follow, Jiraiya left the pub with Naruto on his heels. "The Separatists have launched a massive offensive into the Core worlds, and Corellia is a main target. The Corellians are outstanding pilots, and have a near unbeatable space fleet. They have held off the CIS from doing orbital space bombing, as they have done on Duro, but the Confederacy managed to land a few ships. Now, we have been sent to reinforce the planet, and prevent the Separatists from going any further into the Core Worlds." Jiraiya led Naruto to the hangar, where a siren began wailing, a voice telling the soldiers to get into position.

Hopping onto a speeder bike, Jiraiya motioned Naruto to take the one next to his. Jiraiya placed a small device in his ear, tossing one to Naruto as well. The earpiece fit snugly, and Naruto could hear the faint breathing of several people. Soon enough, Jedi wearing the same earpieces began rushing into the room. Naruto noticed that his master and himself were at the front, while the rest sat in rows behind them. They were a hundred strong.

"Okay, we're now on the outside of the city of Coronet, the capital of Corellia. The ship will drop us, and we will rush into battle. Make sure your earpiece is set to filter all sounds but words. You ready, young one?" Jiraiya asked, looking over at his apprentice. Naruto nodded, his pulse beating rapidly, adrenaline pumping hard into his veins.

Suddenly, the sirens stopped, and a countdown took its place. Naruto threw off his large brown robe and gripped the handles firmly, revving up the bike.

They dropped.

Hitting the ground, Naruto hit the accelerator, bursting into a speed that nearly threw him off the vehicle. As he sped along the dusty ground towards the city, the sound of war suddenly filled his ears. Explosions rocked the landscape, and he could see cannon-fire ripping into the large buildings of Coronet. The smell of burning metal filled his nostrils as the battalion of Jedi rushed into the city, weaving around the broken battle droids.

"We're going to recapture this City, people." Jiraiya's voice said strongly in Naruto's ear. "No buts about it. We are attacking the left flank of a makeshift base they have created in the Capital building. We each have a hundred pounds of thermal detonators strapped to our bikes. We'll ride at the building with full speed, then jump when I say to. Clear?" A hundred affirmatives came over the sound of the roaring bike under Naruto.

A few minutes of riding, dodging blaster-fire, and weaving around rubble, the large Dome-shaped Capital building came into sight. As Naruto's heart rate quickened, the scenery slowed around him, allowing him to see every detail and aspect of what was happening. When they were nearly close enough to spit on the pure white building, Jiraiya gave the order. Calling upon the force, Naruto leaped high into the air, back flipping behind a wrecked CIS Armored Assault Tank, or AAT. The explosion was loud enough to leave a loud ringing in his left ear, but the device filtered out the noise in Naruto's right.

Standing up, activating his new lightsaber, Naruto made eye contact with his master. The General raised his blade and pointed it at the gaping whole of the large dome. "Charge!" roared Jiraiya, and Naruto made long strides to catch up with the speeding leader.

"Kyuubi is the General of the Droid Army, Naruto." Jiraiya said, as Naruto finally caught up to the man's side, just as he leapt through the destroyed side of the building. "More than likely, he is here, along with your friend, Hinata." Naruto's only response was to increase his speed, slamming a foot into the chest of a Super Battle Droid, crushing its main CPU.

* * *

Hinata stood beside her new Master, gazing down on the attack of the Capital Building. Everything was going according to plan.

Kyuubi turned around, barking orders to the commanding droids, then looked down at his three assigned Acolytes. They were young, but powerful.

"Itachi, Gaara, Zabuza, you are to leave no Jedi alive, except Naruto. I wish to take care of him myself.... We'll attack as the battle wears down, and they are weary from defeating the decoys." Kyuubi gave a malicious grin, his sharp teeth gleaming. "This planet is key to our victory over the Jedi Scum."

But, as Hinata looked up at the sky, she saw something _not_ going according to plan. "Master..." She _hated_ calling him that, "The Jedi have brought friends."

Cannon-fire now reigned from the sky, obliterating several of their hidden bases. Clone transporter ships with heavy turrets were now ripping at the droid armies below. From atop one of the less intimidating buildings, with no trace of CIS takeover, Hinata knew they were perfectly safe to watch. But Kyuubi wouldn't have that.

"Change of plans. Zabuza, take a squad of Magnaguards to engage the Clone Troopers. We can't have them ruining our little encounter with the Jedi. Gaara, I want you to go with Hinata into the Capital building, to dispose of the remaining Jedi. Itachi and I will be leading the reserves into the city for backup. We can't be overwhelmed now, just as victory is at hand. It's the 501st legion, so it's not a time to play games. Now go!"

Zabuza leaped away, to regroup with his new subordinates, that would by now have received the transmission of their new mission from the nearby Command Droid. Rounding on Hinata, Kyuubi stuck his face close to hers.

"You said the 501st were stationed on Coruscant. And when they were deployed, only in small numbers. Do those units look small to you?" Kyuubi seethed, pointing out at the oncoming ships, methodically destroying the CIS bases. Hinata glared into her Master's eyes, almost enjoying having been a part in the anger he now felt.

"I guess the Jedi are taking this attack seriously." Hinata said smoothly, thinking back on all she knew of the Five-oh-First legion. They were the top clones in the whole army, primarily based on Coruscant, only deployed in very small groups when needed. It seemed this was the first occurrence of such a vast use of the advanced soldiers.

"I'll deal with you later." Kyuubi said simply, turning away from his apprentice. Leaping off the top of the building, Kyuubi was caught by his War cruiser, sleekly designed for speed and stealth. Itachi hopped into the only open seat, and the small vehicle sped off.

Looking at Gaara, who had dark rings around his eyes as if he hadn't slept in days, she almost dared him to say something. But he didn't, as she knew he wouldn't. He was a special case; he had spent the best part of his life under the cruel watch of Darth Sidious, conforming to the man's regime. Now, he was a quiet, unobtrusive boy, who couldn't sleep. But Hinata could feel his power, and the Darkness that pumped through is veins. He wasn't someone she would like to have to fight.

"All right, let's go give the Jedi a visit. They seem to have finished the Supers off."

* * *

Slicing through the last droid, Naruto kicked it to the debris-ridden floor. Taking a deep breath to calm his body, Naruto retracted his golden blade. Looking at his Master, who was across the room on the top floor of the Capital building, he saw a satisfied smile. No Jedi had been killed during the insurrection of the Confederate base. He stood on an overhead balcony, looking down at the main part of where the battle had been fought. Above was the bright, white dome which almost signified the purity and joy Naruto felt at this moment, finally winning a battle after so many losses.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto pulled himself up to the railing of the balcony, standing precariously hundreds of feet above the hard, marble floor. Giving his Master a grin, Naruto called upon the Force then launched himself high into the air, speeding towards the other side of the base of the dome. He landed hard, but safe, next to Jiraiya, who clapped him on the back.

"You did good, kid, but this whole battle was merely a decoy. I have a feeling the main course is on its way, to dispose of us before taking the city completely. But, I'm pretty sure that our little distraction from above threw them off quite a bit." Jiraiya said, grasping the guarding and looking down at the piles of droids on the base floor, he sighed a little bit.

A question suddenly popping into his head, Naruto quickly voiced it. "Master, why did it take so long to get from Coruscant to here? They are both Core Worlds..." Jiraiya nodded, giving his Padawan a small smile.

"I may not live in the future, but I do have a very refined skill for predicting it. It took over a week because we had to organize millions of troops and thousands of ships for this mission. We are but the small epicenter of a larger battle." Pointing up, Jiraiya told Naruto to look. The teen did, and it shattered at that moment. He gasped in amazement, but was soon horrified as the huge chunks fell past him onto the majority of the Jedi below.

"Master, we must help... How did you know? What do we _do?_" Naruto suddenly panicked, before his training overtook his senses and calmed him.

"Don't worry, I knew it would happen. The Jedi are safe, just cut off. We are the only Jedi above that layer of tons of rock, and I will not be able to help you in this battle. This is Fate, Naruto. This is _destiny_. If I teach you nothing else, then know that the Force, Destiny, and Fate are all separate, warring Nations, fighting for control of life itself. But, they are all essentially the same in a sense that they each play a specific role in your life." Now blinding light and sounds of war erupted into the room, even though the sky was dark, lights from cannons and blasters filled the air. Looking up, Naruto could see massive ships floating just at the tip of the atmosphere, close enough to each other to crash.

Now wind bore down upon the two Jedi, and Jiraiya had to yell to be heard, his voice taking on an ominous tone. "Listen to me, Naruto. No matter what she says, or does, know your place is _here_, with me, with the _Jedi_. Remember that!" Suddenly a gust of dust lifted the two warriors of the Light Side high into the air, separating them as they passed the gaping hole in the dome. Naruto landed hard on his back, and had to quickly find his footing before he slid off the uneven terrain. Before he could take a look around, he was tackled, shoving him back onto the curved roof. He and his assailant were now sliding fast down the large ceiling.

"Hey, Naru!" Cooed a soft voice, a familiar voice. Naruto almost didn't recognize her. Her aura, though he hadn't really examined it before, was now strewn with Darkness and a scent of something different. Something that made his blood boil, and his senses peak. Her body was pressed tight into his own, and she held him in such a way that he had no chance of moving. They continued to slide, and Naruto was able to glimpse her clothing. She now wore a small mask that covered the top half of her face. It was an onyx color, elaborately designed with red stitching outlining the eyes. Her eyes even seemed different, as if a dark smoke loomed behind the clear lenses, intermixing with the pearly white and lavender that had once been dominate.

She wore a tight, sleeveless top that was lightly armored with a black mesh. Glancing down briefly, he saw her long legs were covered by a tight spandex of the same onyx color as her top and mask, and her boots were styled the same, with a soft gleam of metal armor. "You like my new outfit?" The girl asked, just as they hit the stone lip of the dome roughly, taking the wind out of Naruto.

Concentrating, his sent a small Force pulse from his body, effectively relieving him of his captivity. Returning to an upright position, he flicked his 'saber on. It's bright gold gleam contrasted greatly with her dark styled garb. She smiled at him, a tempting smile. A small pang came from deep within his chest.

"Why, Hinata? Why did you join him? I heard what he did to you -- so why?" The question was simple, and he had hoped to plant the seed into her mind to come back to being a Jedi. But it hadn't worked.

"He has revealed the truth, Naruto. A truth I've known since I was little. I don't wish to live a life of pain, not able to have what I want most." Hinata said, gazing at his lightsaber questioningly. She took a sleek hilt from behind her, and Naruto's eyes were drawn to it. It was his own lightsaber!

"What do you want most? What all Sith want? Power? Money? Status? Hinata, those are petty things, with absolutely no happiness in them!" Naruto exclaimed, trying to ignore that she held his hand-crafted lightsaber. She blinked a few times, taken aback by what he said.

"Naruto, what I want most is _you_. That's all I ever wanted, was to lead a happy life at your side..." She said, with a look of hurt in her eyes. Now it was Naruto, who felt doused in shame, who was taken aback. So, it had been his own fault for her conversion? Not Kurenai's?

In fact, he had no idea what to say. So Hinata seemed to pick up the conversation for him.

Taking a step forward, the girl gave him a look of determination, as well as... could that be love? Once again, Naruto was faced with an emotion that was flowing freely through his connection with the force from his former friend. "Naruto, the Jedi will only deprive you of your most base, strongest emotions. I am now more free than I have ever been in my life, and it's because I've released the burden of being Society's slave. It's simple, Naruto. Just switch sides..." An outstretched hand was coming from Hinata, almost about to touch the hand which was holding out the still activated lightsaber.

"It's not simple!" Naruto screamed, making Hinata withdraw her hand with a start. "Hinata, the Sith is evil! They kill! They are tyrants that must be stopped! Please, Hinata, come back!" Naruto waved his newly acquired lightsaber to point at the ground, and stepped closer to her, putting only a few inches between them. "I'm sorry, Hina, but attachment can only lead to corruption. You were a close person to me, but I can not allow you to go free. Just lay down your weapon and allow for me to take you to Coruscant." Naruto could feel a flash of anger emanate from the form in front of him, and he could have sworn that all the light in the universe had blinked off for a millisecond.

"Naruto, can you not see through the deception that the Jedi have drilled into your skull? I love you, like no other person or Jedi can!" Now defiant tears sprung to her eyes, as beautiful as they still were, even with the dark clouds hiding in the shadows of the round orbs. "They would forbid us from ever seeing each other again, if I was still in the Order. That would kill me, Naruto! Do you want me dead?" She finally asked, her voice dropping low as she uttered the last word. Now Naruto's own faith was beginning to waver, but he held strong, keeping his lightsaber active.

"Hina, you once pulled me from the verge of conversion.... You saved me from death plenty of times in the years we were apprenticed to Master Kurenai. Now, can you say you benefit more in life as a Jedi or a Sith?" He took a step away, conscious that he was obviously avoiding her question. She only looked at him evenly, the tears now gone from her eyes.

"My way of life is now as an apprentice to Master Kyuubi, General of the Droid Army in the Confederacy of Independent Systems. I did not want it to have to come to this, but I will do what I must." She strolled backwards, twirling Naruto's former lightsaber in her hand masterfully before activating it. "By the way, how did you make a new one so fast?"

"It's my mother's only legacy, handed to me by my new Master, the Sage Jiraiya." Hinata's eyebrows shot up in surprise, just as Naruto lunged forward, slashing down hard at the other golden blade. The two vibrant blades clashed, and clashed again as Naruto spun around Hinata's defense and slashed at her back, where she blocked. She leapt over him, sending a flurry of stabs at him, which he bent and contorted his body to avoid, parrying as needed. Calling upon the Force, Naruto grasped his hilt with both hands and slammed the tip of his own lightsaber into Hinata's, where she was only holding it with one hand. With his heightened senses, he could see it in slow motion as the hilt slide out of her grasp, flipped around her hand, only to end up in a reversed hold in the same hand. She now attacked with a style he had not known her to have, throwing his concentration out of whack.

Her unpredictable spinning and slashing attacks had him on the defensive, backing cautiously along the narrow lip of the Capital building. It would only take a slip of his footing to send him over the edge, to the solid permacrete below. In a last ditch effort, Naruto twisted his blade around Hinata's respective saber, forcing them to do a quick power struggle to keep the other saber from puncturing each other's defenses. As he slid his lightsaber round and round Hinata's, he finally tilted up, bringing them into a lock, each lightsaber now on the side of its respective owner.

He looked deep into her troubled, emotion-filled eyes. She seemed to hate fighting him, and he had no desire to fight her either.

"Hinata, we should stop this madness!" He was now only becoming aware of a growing storm, which was sending strong bolts of lighting down all around them. The wind was picking up speed fast, and even the ships were beginning descent for a massive land battle.

"I will never stop until I prove to you that I will _never_ stop." Hinata said, and Naruto could see through the openings in her mask that her perfect facial features were crumpled as she scrunched her eyebrows in concentration.

Naruto let out a surprised laugh, "But that doesn't even make sense!"

"Nothing makes sense when you feel this way about someone." She answered simply, pressing hard into the lock. Naruto now pulled away, parrying the attacking blow Hinata had sent after him. He backed away slowly, as she advanced at the same pace. He raised his blade with one hand horizontal with the permacrete he stood on, and held the other hand palm-out at Hinata. She advanced slowly with her arms at her side, the tip of her lightsaber melting a jagged line in the stone as she crept forward.

Now the winds were almost enough to blow Naruto off balance, and he was beginning to fear any more lightsaber conflict just might send him toppling over the edge. At that moment, a bolt of lighting struck between them, its powerful energy caused both the weapons to short out. Upon trying to reactivate it, Naruto found it was unresponsive. Hinata pulled two more hilts from her belt, only to find the same result.

They stared across at each other for a moment as the battle of nature, man, and machine roared on. Suddenly, Hinata took a sharp intake of breath. "I forgot! I'm so sorry..." Naruto looked over at her puzzled, blinking a few times. "You don't know, do you?" she continued, then took a startled look at the sky. Naruto quickly looked, but soon realized it was a mistake. He was knocked backwards once more by another one of her tackles, but he at least landed safely on the flat surface of the lip of the dome. He still had his breath this time, and he was preparing to use a massive Force push.

"Happy birthday, Naru..." and she pressed her soft lips to his own, engaging in a sweet kiss that whatever he had experienced with the Twi'lek paled in comparison to the love he felt flow from the body atop him. And, as he neither pulled back or returned the affection, his mind confirmed her statement. According to the Galactic calendar, he was now seventeen years old.

* * *

**I had planned that ending for a while, and I thought it was pretty sweet. But, as I got to thinking while writing it, I realized that my own 17th birthday is on Friday, the 6th. So, happy early birthday to me, I guess.**

**Any questions, feel free to leave a review and I'll get back to you. Any further discussion? Feel free to PM me via my profile. As always, thanks for reading, and drop a review if you like my story.**


	8. Planet Conqueror

Kyuubi marched in front of his army of droids, Itachi guarding the left flank of the mass of moving metal. The Supers were now surrounding the city by the thousands. Tapping his earpiece, he contacted his apprentice.

"Hinata, we are reverting to our contingency plan. The 501st are too well trained to be defeated by droids alone; we are now falling back on our End-Plan. I need you to focus; you're the only hope for victory now."

It took a moment for her to respond. "But, Naruto!" Hinata's voice crackled over the comlink, making Kyuubi snarl.

"Don't disobey me, or I'll kill him! In fact, if you don't do your part, I'll find him and gut him in front of you. Now, do it!" Kyuubi had no clue if he'd be able to follow through with the threat, but he had a coldness in his voice that convinced anyone listening he was fully capable.

"Yes, my master..." Hinata whispered, ending the comlink.

"Get me a shuttle," Kyuubi commanded to a nearby droid, its yellow coloring told him it was a commander. "And command all droids to activate their heat sensors. When the lights are gone, you are to take the city, and land our cruisers. Stop all orbital bombing now; this planet is now ours." Kyuubi looked up over the Capital City of Corellia, from many miles away. He could see the dark clouds producing a violent storm; he could see Republic and CIS ships battle for dominance of the city. But, it didn't matter. Hinata had the power to win this war, and Kyuubi was going to be damned sure he used it.

With a menacing sneer, Kyuubi added, "And activate code 3555. All droids are to bypass the surrender programs. There will be no prisoners. I want everyone left in the city killed, until I give the order to stop."

* * *

With the Anti-Grav shells tearing the city apart, Hinata pushed herself off of Naruto. She stumbled backwards, lightheaded. Her vision was blurry from the mixed emotions she was feeling. It didn't help that the world seemed to be getting darker by the second...

Naruto quickly sprung to his feet, positioning himself for combat. He had not responded to her kiss in any way, positively or negatively. It hurt, but it was also a comfort. It meant that she still had a chance to win him over. But that didn't change her orders, and the surrounding area still seemed to be losing light.

Kyuubi's words rang in Hinata's ears, and she knew he meant he'd kill Naruto if she didn't go through with the plan. And it made her all the more angry.

"Hinata... What's happening? What are you doing?" Naruto's alarmed voice came, and she could still see his outline through the growing darkness. Back behind the object of her affections, pieces of the city slowly rose into the air inside the Anti-Grav shells' field.

"Get out of here, Naruto..." Hinata managed to say, even though her thoughts were becoming cloudy, fast. And just as fast, her Force powers were consuming more and more of the surrounding luminescence. She doubled over, trying to contain all the energy, and give Naruto some time to escape.

Hinata tapped at the comlink in her ear, sending out a signal for an escape shuttle before it was too late.

"Hurry!" She screamed, for fear of him getting stuck in this mess was battling the growing fury at her position in the universe. She was stuck as the pupil of one of the worst scumbags in the galaxy, yet she knew this was her place. She hated the fact that Naruto did not return her feelings, even though she had gone through so much just so they could be together. And now, her fury was turned on herself, for winning a battle that Naruto had fought so hard to win himself.

Sensing that Naruto knew what she said was the truth, he dashed away, mumbling, presumably into a comlink.

Now, unable to hold the power inside herself any longer, Hinata threw her arms out and stood at full length, slightly leaning back. A roaring could be heard in her ears as her heart pounded rapidly as the Force emptied out of her in the form of a quickly growing dome of blackness. Falling on to her back, gasping for breath, completely blind in the absolute absence of light, Hinata lost consciousness.

The dome of blackness surrounded it's creator entirely; then, feeding on all the agony and pain from the distraught, battling city, it rapidly grew, and it soon engulfed the entire city of Coronet.

* * *

Naruto watched from high above the city, in a retreating starship that Jiraiya had called down. Every Jedi that had attacked the Capital building was onboard, along with an enemy Sith Jiraiya managed to capture. His name was Gaara.

Pulling away from the large viewport, Naruto made his way to the heavily guarded cell which the Sith was being kept in. As he arrived, he stared through the transparent field that separated the dangerous killing machine from himself. Giving the Sith a thoughtful look, Naruto cocked his head to the side. Too many emotions were stirring inside of the young Jedi; one of the most prominent was that strange feeling of love that had been emitting so heavily from Hinata as she administered that sweet kiss of hers...

"What is happening to the city below? What was that darkness, and where is it coming from?" Naruto asked. The only response he got was the meditating boy's eyes opening.

"I'm going to destroy you... and this ship." The cold eyes pierced into Naruto's mind, and coldness overcame him. Not showing any outward reaction to the sudden change of internal temperature that he felt, Naruto turned away from Gaara.

"I scanned the archives, and it mentioned, briefly, a special power that some get when first experiencing the Dark Side of the Force. Tell me: is that what was happening? Was Hinata exerting some new power, granted to her by the corruption in her Force flow?" Naruto kept his voice steady, eyeing the Clones around him. Something was different about himself now, he thought. He was not the same person that he was upon landing on Corellia. A brief flashback of the kiss made Naruto turn around, and stare back into those blood red eyes. "The Capital building's roof.... You did that? And, that is how you intend to escape from your cell... But you can't, yet, or you would have done it by now."

Not waiting for a response, Naruto quickly ordered the Clones to fill the cell with a tranquilizing gas at all times. He had no intentions of letting the Sith escape the ship. Briskly, Naruto left the room in search of his master. He found him in the large control room.

Upon entering the bridge, he heard a great many voices arguing.

"We must leave! If they have this power, it will be employed at every battle we attempt to fight! There is no point in fighting a losing battle-" A bearded human commander spoke, standing directly in front of Jiraiya.

"Then give up your status and return to your home planet, because a war is made of battles. Are you suggesting we surrender? Let the Separatists just do as they please? No, Commander, that is quite impossible. We will win this war, no matter what." Jiraiya spoke. Immediately the Jedi present split half-and-half in agreement with either the Commander or Naruto's Master. Tapping on Jiraiya's shoulder, Naruto motioned for his teacher to follow. Naruto led his Master out of the crowded bridge, and into an empty droid closet.

"Master... I know what's happening in Coronet." Naruto's mind was now raging war on itself. He felt as if the pure passion of Hinata's love for him were weighing heavily upon his very being. Jedi were taught to search, sort, and interpret their feelings to the fullest of their own ability. And right now, Naruto's very core dictated that if Naruto were to tell his Master what was causing the impenetrable darkness, Hinata would be considered the War's number one target. But, his loyalties lied with the republic, and he had a duty to tell...

"Well, spit it out, boy! We have a war going on, and we're losing it!" Jiraiya said, pulling out his datapad and tapping away on it fiercely. Naruto bit his lip, then stared down at his lightsaber. His mother's handcrafted beautiful weapon. She had died for her love, and had kept it completely secret. But secrets, apparently, did not work for these kinds of things. Visibly flinching, Naruto mentally kicked himself. What was he saying? He can't love her--he doesn't even know what love his!

Staring at his Master, he uttered, "Never mind, just lost my head for a few seconds... What do we do now, Master?"

"We warn the Jedi Council of this new threat, then let _them_ deliberate what we do next. But, with this new weapon... we cannot win. Corellia is lost... for now." With a swish of his long, vibrant colored robes, Jiraiya left the small room and was immediately flanked by a dozen Jedi and commanders.

Naruto was now left alone in the small droid closet contemplating what he had done. Was this treason, all for the sake of a Sith?

* * *

Orochimaru stared blankly over at Pein, who was busy polishing his lightsaber hilt. Ever since he had lost his legs, Orochimaru had thought of nothing but revenge. When he heard that Hinata had joined the Dark Side, he didn't even care. He now only had one person in mind that he'd like to destroy: Naruto. He despised the young Jedi for everything he stood for. He hated Naruto for not joining him. Hated him for not dying. Hated him for the very fact that he was forbidden to kill him now.

Darth Sidious had contacted Orochimaru a few hours earlier with the location of the next Jedi Temple. Naboo.

"Pein, have you ever been to Naboo?" Orochimaru asked, leaning forward in his seat, propping himself up against the terminal in front of him. The holoscreen flickered with images and snippets of information about Naboo.

"Not personally, no." The cool voice came.

"I hear it is the birthplace of our Lord Sidious..." Orochimaru tapped on his datapad, which was directly linked to the CIS archives, as well as the terminal in front of him. A hazy image of the Sith Leader appeared before the man.

"Curious that he gave us an order to leave it in ruins," Pein commented, not sounding at all curious. Normally, Orochimaru would push for the man to express some sort of feeling, but he was beginning to deem it an unworthy cause.

Orochimaru's feet began itching, so he reached down to scratch, only to be met by hard metal. He let out a few choice curse words, a sudden burning rage searing his mind. _Damn you, Naruto!_ He growled inside his mind. Unconsciously, he tapped the boy's name into the datapad. A soft beep notified Orochimaru that a file had been pulled up, and the man stared at the image with a suddenly cold look. "So, little Naru was born on Naboo, was he?" He muttered to himself. Scanning through the boy's file, he found nothing else of interest.

With a deep groan, Orochimaru stood and put away his datapad. He gave Pein a blank stare, suddenly overcome with a desire to know where the man was born. He voiced his curiosity, which rewarded him with a heated stare from the usually emotionless man.

"That is of none of your concern. Keep to yourself, and I will do the same." Pein stood, attached his hilt to his belt, and then left the bridge without another word. Orochimaru silently mocked his words, rolling his eyes.

As a service droid walked past, Orochimaru took a drink from the tray it was holding, then delivered a crushing kick to it's leg, making it fall to the floor. Taking the fiery drink down in one gulp, Orochimaru threw that glass at the droid, shattering it on its head. "Clean this up." Walking away, Orochimaru took a glimpse out of the large viewport, seeing the growing blue and green world in the distance.

* * *

It hadn't taken long for the Jedi Council to come to a decision on what to do. They were to abandon the system and cut their losses. There were bigger battles to be fought.

"It seems the Confederacy has two fronts. They are lancing into the Core Worlds with a straight, brute force attack. And, as we have been concentrating on our defense, they have been preparing a massive invasion near and around the Outer Rim. Starting with Naboo." Jiraiya was standing before a group of Jedi and commanders, telling what the situation was.

"But what is the importance of Naboo, at this time? We are struggling to keep the Core Worlds out of Separatist hands! If they get any closer to Coruscant, we may never get them back out again." One Commander interjected, crossing his arms thoughtfully.

"Our last hidden Temple is there, and they know it." Jiraiya stated as the room erupted in startled gasps. "If we do not get most of our forces there soon, Naboo will be lost. We were prepared for the first attack on a Temple, and look at how that turned out. Now that we've been caught off guard, the situation is dire. We here have millions of the best soldiers and Jedi around, and are prepared for hyperspace. All we need to do is get out of the battleground." And, as if to prove this would not be an easy feat, a loud explosion could be heard, and the ship began shaking violently. A siren began to wail as flashing red lights indicated they were under attack.

Jiraiya nodded, and everyone immediately went into battle-mode.

"Naruto, you and I are going out in our Jedi fighters. I said we'd be on the front lines, and I meant it."

* * *

Naruto soon found himself getting a crash course lesson on battling in space. He had been trained to pilot nearly every kind of vehicle, but it was a different experience to actually engage in Zero-G disputes. As he eased out of the hangar, his comlink crackled with orders. After a few minutes of struggling, Naruto finally found his groove.

Speeding around blaster-fire, Naruto piloted his ship in complex maneuvers to keep from being shot down. Soon enough, he was singled out for his piloting prowess, and was flanked on either side by mean looking droid fighters. Performing an arching loop, Naruto twisted his ship around a particularly large piece of floating debris, then stopped. As soon as the two ships came into view behind him, he squeezed the dual triggers, letting out a deadly round of blaster bolts. He watched with satisfaction as one ship lost control and crashed into the other, the mangled mass of metal falling out of sight soon after.

"Good job, kid. Now let's see what we can do about their frigates!" Jiraiya's voice came in Naruto's earpiece, sounding confident. Naruto nodded to himself, and immediately put his specialized, sleek golden fighter on full speed. Drunk on the sheer power of his new weapon, Naruto spun through hordes of droid-piloted fighters, easily eliminating them all. Letting out a small cry of victory, Naruto pushed his controls forward, diving at a separated ship, seemingly lost from its pack. As he neared, he noticed something different about it. Something familiar.

The dark ship was slightly bigger than the others were. It was more elongated, with triple wings, crisscrossing through the center. It's hull seemed meshed together to such perfection that Naruto almost doubted he could put even a dent in it. With a sudden jolt of realization, Naruto gasped as he thought of what it reminded him of. Thinking back, he could remember clearly the first time Hinata showed him her lightsaber hilt.

A voice emanated from the cockpit's integrated audio system. "I'm glad you got out of Coronet, Naru... I was afraid you wouldn't be able to escape."

Naruto's fists clenched around the controls of his ship, as he came to a stop a mere dozen meters or so away. "How did you get this frequency?" Naruto asked aloud, staring intently through his viewport at the ship before him.

"It's easy to crack Jedi fighter ship codes... if one was once a Jedi themselves." Naruto bit his lip, making a mental note to report the flaws in Jedi technology.

"Hinata, what are you going to do? Kill me? Capture me? We were once friends! Can you not understand that we are on opposing sides now? That we either fight, or be accused of being traitors? Your hopes for us to be together are futile! Search your feelings: you know it to be true."

"No! I don't believe that! There is a way! There must be." Her determined voice brought a small smile to Naruto's lips, but he hung his head and sighed.

"Hinata, I will not hold back. I can't. I have already proved disloyal by not telling Master Jiraiya you are the new weapon everyone fears. I want you to be safe, Hinata! But my allegiances are to the Republic, and you are not proving easy to protect. All the people that couldn't be evacuated in Coronet are dead... because of you. Can you bare that weight?" Naruto's eyes welled up with tears, as his very being touched the Force, feeling thousands of life forms evaporating into nothingness.

"I would destroy the whole universe, if that's what it takes to be together. I will make my own empire, where people don't have to be afraid to show their feelings. Where freedom is first and foremost!" Hinata's face suddenly popped into view on the viewport before Naruto. And Naruto was sure she was seeing his as well. She looked surprised. "Why are you crying?"

Naruto, who was unaware until then that the tears for the ones lost had fallen, quickly brushed his face against his forearm. "As kids, we were taught to love everything and everyone. I never quite understood what love was, until now. It's about wanting to protect something, no matter the cost. I now know that feeling, thanks to you." His voice cracked, and Naruto swallowed hard. He looked into the lavender-black eyes of his former friend, then glared. "And you'll pay for each life lost on Corellia!"

Throwing the controls forward, he rocketed at Hinata, releasing all the firepower he had. He didn't want to, but he had no time to think: he was doing as Jiraiya had instructed him. He was letting the Force guide his actions now.

Hinata somehow managed to dodge around Naruto's onslaught, but Naruto quickly gave chase. He was on her tail in no time, his arms working at an unmatched speed to put all of his ship's considerable power into destroying the Sith in front of him. He never gave Hinata an inch, but she still somehow managed to continue on, untouched by the rapid-fire. Hinata jumped to hyperspace, in attempt at fleeing. But Naruto had already predicted that move, and jumped at the same time as she after his droid unit had procured the coordinates.

The chase lasted on for what seemed like hours, leaving Naruto in a sorry state. He couldn't stop the tears from flowing, whether it be for the lives lost, or for his forced actions against the only person to love him. Finally, after charging up his main cannon which resided under his ship, he let out a massive burst, which tore through two of the three wings. They both exited hyperspace at that moment.

Trying to keep Hinata's ship in view, Naruto struggled as he lost control of his own ship. He plummeted to the large planet below, crashing hard into the grassy plain. Crawling from the fiery wreckage, he laid on the scorched grass for a moment to catch his breath. It was finally over. Blood covered the left half of his face from a cut on his forehead, blinding his left eye. "At least no bones are broken," he mumbled to himself, the tears now gone from his face, and his Jedi calm restored.

He groaned as he sat up, then finally came to his feet. He stripped off his ragged pilot suit, until he was just in his plain white Jedi garb he usually wore under a brown cloak. Stumbling around his ship, he took stock of the damage. It was totaled.

With a sigh, Naruto looked around, wondering if Hinata had crashed, as well. With a blink of surprise, he was just able to activate his lightsaber and defend a crashing blow from a dark purple blade. The next two attacks came so swiftly, pure reflex allowed Naruto to parry. Seizing his opportunity, Naruto hopped backwards, landing atop his pile of scrap for a ship.

"You tried to kill me!"A panicky voice came from below, choked with sobs. The trembling girl below fell to her knees, racked with sobs. Deactivating her lightsaber, she attached them to her utility belt, just before collapsing to the ground.

Biting his lip, Naruto examined Hinata from above. She had a wound on her side, near her kidney. Also, blood matted her hair. The dark mask she had worn before was now gone. Switching off his weapon, Naruto returned to the ground beside his former friend, deciding to help.

Kneeling beside the girl, Naruto stared into the barely open eyes. He seriously wondered if she was going to die right there.

"Naruto..." Hinata reached out and took his hand, before he could react. The swimming clouds of blackness could still be seen looming behind those beautiful lavender orbs. "I'm sorry I attacked you." Naruto noticed the sweat trickling down her face, and knew she was developing a fever. _The planet must have hostile, microscopic organisms, _Naruto thought. "It's just that, I feel so strongly for you that I can't think straight anymore... And this terrible, all-consuming blackness just has me so _angry_ all the time. I never wished for any harm to come to you." Her thumb gently stroked the top of Naruto's hand, and he looked down at the small gesture of love, unsure of how to react. With her free hand, she lovingly wiped some of the blood from Naruto's face.

"You're sick, Hina." Naruto said tentatively, trying to recall every bit of medical training he had went under.

"Hina... I love it when you call me that. It makes me think... of how we used to be. Just you, Master Kurenai, and me. It seems like so long ago..." Hinata's eyes drooped even more, which worried Naruto.

"Stay awake; we have to find shelter!" Naruto frantically looked around, searching for some kind of civilization that could help.

"Naruto... If I were to ever die, I would want it to be by your hands. Because then I'd know.. That I actually mattered to you."

"Hina! Don't say that, okay? You've always mattered to me. I... I'm just not experienced in this type of thing. I don't even know what love is!" Her eyes seem to open a little wider at this, as if to get a better look at him.

Hinata took the hand she was holding, and placed it between her breasts, right above her heart. "Feel that?"

"Your heart rate: it's quickening!" Naruto said, alarmed. Would she go into cardiac arrest right here?

Hinata gave him a soft smile, "This is what love is, in a biological sense. If you can't come to terms with it in its emotional symptoms, realize this: When you're in love, your heart quickens when the one whom you love is close. Your stomach clenches and gets a funny feeling. And then they are all you can think about." She then released his hand, and asked for him to come closer. "Naruto, I know I've made some mistakes. I'm not perfect. But, the Jedi, as they are right now, will not allow us to be together. And what good is it to be an outcast, like a Dark Jedi? Naruto, the Sith and the CIS allow us the freedom to do as we please! Who is to say that the Sith are evil? The Jedi? They are afraid of losing power... They are ignorant, Naruto! Unable to see a galaxy in which they are not the leading authority!" She let out an agonizing gasp, and her hand immediately went to the wound on her side.

"Please, Hinata," Naruto said,"let's just try to get to shelter. We need to fix you up."

Suddenly, Hinata's cloudy eyes locked into Naruto's own vibrant blue orbs. "Naruto, can you say you feel nothing for me? Can you say you'll continue fighting against my faction and me? Will you say you do not love me?" Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and she struggled to sit up. Naruto quickly took hold of her, gently lying her back down. She didn't resist, because now Naruto was leaning close to her. "Search your feelings Naruto." She used the Jedi cliche, attempting to make Naruto to come to terms with what she _knew_ he felt.

Biting his lip, Naruto closed his eyes. He searched deep within himself, reaching out to the Force to give him a boost of self-awareness. Finally, Naruto opened his eyes and looked down at Hinata's full, red lips. He desired so much to press his lips against them... Leaning forward, he breathed, "I..."

The humming of a lightsaber extending to its full length interrupted Naruto.

* * *

**Well, there's a chapter that just did **_**not**_** want to come out. And a new Star Wars character is about to make his or her appearance! Who can guess whom it is?**

**Thanks for reading; now click the little green button below to tell me your thoughts.**


	9. A Web of Secrets

Naruto looked up to see a tall man extending a blue lightsaber in his direction with his right hand, not more than ten feet away. He was dressed in a black leather tunic, with matching pants. His combat boots were of the same color. Along the man's forearms and hands he wore a black glove with metal clasps. His longish hair flowed no farther than his neck, and the bangs did not reach his eyes. "Step away from her. She is a Sith."

Naruto glanced down to the girl's face, which was so close to his own at that moment. She seemed to have finally fallen unconscious. Rising to his feet, Naruto gave the stranger a curious look. "Who are you?"

"I am Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight. I was on my way to Naboo... when I got a distress signal from this planet. I'm assuming it was from your ship, as Jedi fighters automatically call for help before crashing." The man stepped closer, now within half a dozen feet of Naruto and Hinata.

"Don't come any closer. She's wounded and she needs help. You wouldn't kill an unarmed prisoner of war, would you?"

"She is a dangerous Sith! I overheard your conversation... she's the new weapon of the CIS!" He stepped forward once more.

Naruto flicked his golden lightsaber on, hovering the dangerous weapon protectively before him in a defensive stance. "I do not wish to fight you, but I will not allow any harm to come to her!"

Anakin stopped then. He gave Naruto an incredulous look. "She is the bane of the Jedi's existence right now! If she continues to live, she will be unstoppable!"

Naruto stubbornly shook his head. He finally knew that he was _not_ a tool to be used. He was _not _a slave to society. He was a sentient being, with a life of his own. And he finally felt that he could actually live a happy life, possibly with this girl right here. She expressed her intentions, and though he did not fully agree with her method, he knew he did feel _something_ for her now. "I will do what I must. But I am asking you to _please_ just leave her alone. We can bring her back to the Light Side of the Force!"

Anakin shook his head slowly, giving Naruto a hard stare. "She has made her decision. Her Force flow is now too deeply corrupted to be changed. Her fate was sealed the moment you crashed here. The Force wills me to kill her, and you know it. Search yourself, uh..."

"Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki, Padawan of Master Jiraiya."

"Yes, the Legendary Jiraiya. He knows all about destiny, fate, and the Force. Then you should know that it _needs_ to be done. And now." Suddenly, Skywalker burst forth, swinging his blade down in a strong arc.

Reacting immediately, Naruto swept his lightsaber down, knocking the blade away from Hinata. Pressing forward, Naruto smashed his light-sword hard against Anakin's own weapon, but the older Jedi was stronger. A powerful Force push knocked Naruto off his feet, throwing him back against his mangled ship. Naruto felt pressure in his back, and as he pulled himself away from the twisted hunk of metal, he reached behind himself and pressed his hand into the small of his back. As he took his hand away, he saw it was stained with blood. He gave Anakin a shocked look, who met his gaze evenly.

"I do not wish to harm you, Padawan. I am merely trying to save the Republic a large amount of grief." For a moment, Naruto saw a flash of guilt cross the man's face as he saw the blood on Naruto's hand.

Gritting his teeth, a sudden primal instinct to kill overcame him. He saw flashes of red, and could hear a deep roaring in his ears. Looking down at his hand, Naruto could still see the always sharp, strong as permasteel mini-claws that he had inherited from his Uzumaki side. He had an innate power from millions of years of being the top predators on Konoha. And now, someone was invading his 'pack.' He wasn't about to let someone hurt Hinata now that he finally understood what love was. "I'm warning you, Skywalker. Retract your blade." Naruto growled, stalking forward.

Anakin took a balanced stance, prepared for anything. "Don't threaten me, young one. You have yet to ascend to the rank of a real Jedi, and I have seniority over you."

Naruto lunged forward, smacking Anakin's blue blade away, slamming his free fist straight into the man's jaw. The Jedi Knight was lifted of his feet from the blow, but he managed to twist around to land on his feet. Naruto attacked again with precision, forcing Anakin to retreat as he defended.

Gathering the Force into his hand, Naruto threw his left palm outwards, only to have Anakin mirror his movements. Engaged in the Force lock, sweat dripped from Naruto's temples as he struggled to hold his own. This guy was _strong._ Finally, unable to hold it any longer, Naruto was thrown back. He landed in a roll, springing back on his feet in front of Hinata. The Padawan then took a defensive stance; his pride hurt slightly that he had been overcome in the power struggle.

"You cannot defeat me." Anakin said, strolling forward, determined to get his way. "We are Jedi, Naruto. We shouldn't be fighting in the first place. Where do your loyalties lie? With this traitor, or with the serenity and order of the Republic?"

Naruto didn't answer; he just waited for Skywalker's next move.

With a grunt of effort, Anakin shot forward, his blue blade meeting Naruto's golden one in a lock. Naruto pressed hard, but it was obvious from before who had the most power. Anakin quickly began dominating Naruto, leaning forward, forcing Naruto back. In a desperate move, Naruto shifted his footing, then swept one foot under one of Anakin's own. The older Jedi immediately lost his balance, which Naruto took advantage of by bringing his knee up into his ribs, forcing Anakin back. Not stopping, Naruto spun low to his right, sweeping his lightsaber out with his right arm in an upward arc. A small cry of pain let Naruto know he had delivered a blow, even though he felt no resistance from the gyroscopic effect of the lightsaber.

Naruto came to his full height as he watched Anakin stumble backwards, lightsaber deactivated, clutching the right side of his head with his left hand. The hand completely covered his eye, so Naruto could not see where he had wounded the man. Since it was a lightsaber wound, there would be no blood. The wound had been instantly cauterized. Naruto decided to go on damage control.

"I'm sorry I had to do that. But I will defend this girl with my life. If anything, she should be brought back to the Temple on Coruscant to be interrogated, and offered the same treatment as any prisoner of war." Naruto felt guilty that he had wounded a fellow Jedi, and hoped sincerely that it was not a serious injury. But that cut on his back had _hurt_, and Anakin had to pay.

Anakin took his hand away then, to attach his weapon to his belt. He gave Naruto a hard look. His eye was fine, to Naruto's immense relief. From what Naruto could tell, he only had a rough looking burn starting just below the eye, extending upwards onto the forehead. He looked fairly angry, and the scar seemed to only add to the power the man emanated.

"Fine, if you are _that_ adamant about it. We'll take her into custody, then let the Council decide her fate."

Naruto only nodded, deactivating his lightsaber before reattaching it to his belt. Kneeling down, he studied Hinata's wounds. They had stopped bleeding, but it looked like she may have a concussion, which was probably the reason she couldn't stay conscious. Pulling a hypo from a compartment on his utility belt, Naruto injected the girl with a mixture of antibiotics and various other chemicals to prevent infection, as well as prevent any further harm from current injuries. He brushed a stray strand of hair from her face, and looked down at her sleeping form. She would be better off in the Republic's hands.

"I suppose the Council members can try to bring her back to our side," Naruto whispered, slightly worried for what may happen to her when they take her away from him. Anakin walked up behind the teen, and put a hand on his shoulder, which seemingly forgave Naruto for his actions.

"They'll do what's best for everyone. Remember, Naruto, we are _Jedi_ and she is a _Sith_. There are differences, and we are not like them. She will not be executed... most likely. I'm sure she'll find the right path once Yoda speaks with her."

"I guess this could be the end of her days as a Sith." Naruto observed, checking the rest of her body for any other damage. He was beginning to like this guy; now that he wasn't trying to kill Hinata.

"I highly doubt that." Came a deep growl, making Naruto's head whip around. He saw that Anakin had already pulled his lightsaber out, ready for action. "I've come to take my apprentice back, if you don't mind." Naruto could see the wicked smile on Kyuubi's hellish red face; could see the sharp teeth that Naruto himself had inherited. Naruto slowly reached around the unconscious Hyuuga, pulling his old lightsaber from her belt. With it restored to him, he felt he could finally face his father.

Standing tall beside his new comrade, Naruto looked Kyuubi in the eyes. "You will not corrupt her anymore, you vile old man. Do us all a favor and _disappear_."

"Oh, son, that _hurts_." Kyuubi said with a booming laugh, throwing his head back. His dark helmet didn't reflect any of the sunlight that hit it, and his long ears twitched, seemingly with mirth.

"You're his _son?_" Anakin said, exasperated. He gave Naruto an astonished look. Naruto just flicked on his lightsabers. Noticing a little extension at the end of his mother's hilt, he realized what he could do.

Kyuubi saw what Naruto discovered, and pulled his own blades out. "So, Jiraiya has taken you under his wing, huh?" He clicked the end of both his hilts together, then twisted. With an audible _snap_, the two blades were now one double-phased lightsaber. Naruto did the same with his two lightsabers, spinning it at his left side. "Your mother and I invented the hilt clasp. It can certainly take an opponent off guard if you start out with a double lightsaber, then suddenly are holding two single one."

"Think you can take on two Jedi by yourself?" Naruto said, tauntingly, ignoring Kyuubi's remark.

"Yes." And he attacked. Anakin flicked his lightsaber on, smashing it upwards to the top blade that was arcing down on him. Kyuubi kicked him in the chest, spinning the other side in Naruto's direction. Immediately, the younger Uzumaki arced one end of his double lightsaber to meet the attack, then spun around to flank Kyuubi from behind.

Kyuubi easily fought off both Jedi, utilizing his own double lightsaber to attack Anakin, while defending against Naruto. Hopping back, Naruto feinted an attack at Kyuubi's head. He fell for it, and Naruto ducked under the defensive block, spinning his duo-blade at Kyuubi's side. The man was forced to leap away, but Anakin was immediately on him, attacking rapidly with slashes meant to push Kyuubi back. It was only then that Naruto noticed Hinata was gone. With alarm, Naruto snapped back up to his full height, quickly searching for her. He noticed a figure in black armor, with matching colored hair making long strides away from the battle scene, holding his unconscious friend. Naruto cried out, stepping forward to give chase, only to be thrown off his feet by an invisible collision.

He landed hard against the side of his wasted ship, then fell to the ground, the wind knocked out of him. His lightsabers lay, separated, a good two yards away. Bringing himself on his hands and knees he coughed, trying to bring air back into his lungs.

"Anakin," Naruto gasped,"Hinata!" He feebly pointed out at the man who was carrying Hinata, almost to the small stealth ship that he had, apparently, come in.

Kyuubi, through playing games, smashed Anakin's blade away, twisting as he did so. Using his momentum, Kyuubi brought a powerful kick straight into Anakin's ribs, effectively forcing the Jedi to the ground. With a victorious growl, Kyuubi gave his son a meaningful look, though Naruto could not decipher _what_ that meaning was. Seemingly deciding to leave while the two were unable to stop him, Kyuubi turned to leave.

Coughing, Naruto brought himself to his feet and retrieved his lightsabers. He then made a wobbly dash for his father, activating his lightsabers as he did so.

Seemingly annoyed, Kyuubi sent Naruto flying once more with a flick of his wrist. "Until next time, my son." Kyuubi then hopped into the sleek craft that had been brought to hover next to him. Unable to stop them, Naruto watched as the spacecraft quickly rose out of sight.

Regaining his breath, Naruto carefully made his way to Anakin, who was just now getting back on his feet.

"Well, thanks to you, we still have to deal with the Planet Conqueror." Anakin said with a sigh, then shook his head. "But I understand how you feel."

Naruto waited for him to say more, but he didn't. "Well, I guess we need to rendezvous with the Naboo defense battalion. The invasion will be happening soon."

Anakin's head then snapped in Naruto's direction. "Invasion?"

"Well, yeah. That's why you were heading to Naboo, right? There's a massive CIS Starfleet invading the Outer Rim, starting with Naboo."

"Oh no!" Anakin said, panicked. "Padmé!"

"Who is Padmé?" Naruto said, cocking an eyebrow. He put his lightsabers back in their place on his belt for what seemed like the thousandth time that day.

"She's my wi-"Anakin's eyes bulged."She's the senator of Naboo."

Naruto gave the man a mischievous grin. "Your what now? Wi...Wiiii" He stressed out the sound, as if he couldn't figure out what it ended with. Then, with an overdramatic, astonished look he said,"Wife?" The look on Anakin's face as he glared at Naruto was enough to put a satisfied smile on his face.

"We need to get to Naboo, and fast." Anakin began walking away, presumably in the direction of his ship. Naruto followed as they walked through the grassy plain, abandoning the two wrecked ships.

"You were so set on destroying Hinata, extinguishing a _forbidden_ bond, yet you-" Anakin coming to an abrupt halt interrupted him.

"Shut up." Naruto couldn't see his face, but was sure it was one of mixed feelings.

"You're a Jedi, and you're married! How did the Council take it?" Naruto asked, dropping the subject of Anakin's hypocrisy.

"They didn't." Anakin began moving again. "And I would appreciate it if you wouldn't speak of this to _anyone_ else. _Especially_ your Master."

Naruto nodded, but then realized Anakin could not see him. So he quickly gave the man an affirmative that, yes, he would not speak of it to _anyone_ else. They soon arrived to where Anakin had landed his ship. It was fairly big, with only one wing and a fin on the top. A ramp at the back was extended down to the grassy plain. As they made their way up, it slid into itself and closed the gap, sealing off the ship.

Looking around, Naruto could only see a dimly lit storage space with a dusty medic droid chamber integrated into the ship. Naruto thought about using it, but he felt his wounds were nominal.

Through a hatchway they emerged into a two-seater cockpit. Anakin took his Captains seat and immediately began firing up the engines, seemingly determined to make it to Naboo before the invasion.

Naruto strapped himself in the co-pilot's seat. There didn't seem to be anything useful for Naruto to do, so he tried to strike up a conversation. "When did you know you were in love?"

Anakin paused, but only for a moment. He flipped one more switch and took hold of the controls. Giving Naruto a small grin he said, "Well, I've always known." Seeing Naruto's confused face, he went on. "Master Qui-Gon Jinn came to my home planet of Tatooine when I was very young, where I was a slave. He was guarding Queen Amidala of Naboo. When their ship broke down, they had to land and search for a part. With his apprentice, and seemingly the Queen's assistant, Qui-Gon managed to free me. The assistant was very pretty... And I fell in love with her. She was strong and kind, and didn't look at me as if I was less than dirt."

"So, you fell in love with an assistant to the Queen as a boy? And grew up then married her? And then she became a senator? _That_ seems likely."

Anakin gave a small chuckle as he engaged the hyperspace drives and plotted the coordinates. "A lot happened between then and now. Turns out she was the real Queen, just masquerading as an assistant for security purposes. For that reason, she is still alive today. But, long story short, Master Qui-Gon's apprentice took me on as his Padawan after Qui-Gon was defeated by Darth Maul."

"Darth Maul... he was supposedly the first Sith Lord in a thousand years, right? Defeated by Master Kenobi?"

"Yeah, Obi-Wan was my Master. He taught me the ways of the Force."

"Wait, wait, wait! I thought Master Kenobi already had an apprentice? They were just on a mission a few weeks ago."

"I was just granted Knighthood yesterday." Anakin gave Naruto a triumphant smile.

"What were the trials like?" They made the jump to hyperspace.

"Didn't take them. I was granted Knighthood for my prowess in battle. If a Padawan proves to be extraordinary, they can be granted Jedi Knight status through a special ceremony with the Council. I was just on my way to tell Padmé the good news..." He trailed off there, looking straight ahead.

"I'm sure she's fine. The invasion may not have even happened yet."

"Yeah, maybe." An awkward silence ensued. Naruto now felt uncomfortable, so he pulled out his datapad and linked it to the ships communications system. He then began checking the status of Naboo.

"Here's some good news. Half of Naboo is still intact."

A loud cough and a choking sound emitted from Anakin as his eyes bulged and he pitched forward in his seat. He sputtered, "How is that good news?!"

"Oh, whoops. Wrong planet. Okay... Here we go! Naboo hasn't been invaded yet, but the Starfleet is nearly there."

Anakin fell back into his seat, taking deep breaths. "Thank the Force," he gasped, sweat trickling down his forehead. Suddenly, he emitted a loud bark of laughter. "Jeez, Naruto, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Naruto gave the man a sheepish grin, then put his datapad away. "Tell me about Padmé." This seemed to bring calmness to Anakin's panicky visage. He sat back in his seat, relaxing for the first time since they boarded the ship.

"What's to tell?" He gave Naruto a sideways glance. "She's the best person in the whole universe. Long brown hair, slender body, and smooth skin. And her voice is... musical. Her laugh is soft and sweet. What?" Anakin shot Naruto a hurtful look as the teen began cracking up.

"Nothing, nothing... It's just that I thought you were about to break into a love song." Naruto then let out another merciless laugh, only to be hit in the arm by a playful punch from his new friend.

"Well, who are you to talk? 'Oh Hinata, I love you.'" Anakin began making kissy noises, earning a glare from Naruto. With a laugh, he continued, "You're lucky I interrupted. You would have been in a sorry state if you had finished what you were saying, then kissed her, only to be met with the sound of snoring. Jeez, Naruto, how exciting can you be if you put her asleep and you're on top of her!"

"Shut up! You know it was from her head wound!"

"Right, right. Don't worry, I'll keep your secret, if you keep mine. Deal?" Anakin held out a fist, then looked at Naruto expectantly. After a pause, Naruto touched knuckles with him, forming an unspoken bond.

"But, I don't really feel right. If we are keeping secrets about things Jedi aren't supposed to do, then are we truly with the Jedi after all?" Naruto gave Anakin a worried look. Anakin shook his head.

"You can't make everything so black and white, right and wrong. If there was ever a perfect person in this universe, they must have not lived a full life. Everyone has secrets, Naruto. Besides, do you _feel_ that it is wrong? It's not your fault about Hinata, and it isn't about the Jedi Code. The fact that we _are_ keeping secrets is enough to show that we care, right? Perhaps when next we meet with Hinata, you two can find a proper arrangement, like Padmé and I. And one day, we'll all change the Code, freeing us from these terrible restrictions."

Naruto only nodded, looking out the viewport. Could that really happen?

A little while later, a mechanized voice told them they were nearing Naboo. "Coming out of hyperspace," Anakin said, holding the controls of the ship firmly. The swirling blue lights spread out before them, showing a black abysmal opening. They rocketed through, officially entering normal time and space. And there was Naboo, and not far off on the other side of the planet was the massive invasion force.

"We need to report to the Temple." Naruto said, looking warily at Anakin.

"We see Padmé first."

"Duty comes before personal affairs."

Anakin gave Naruto a sharp look, "Where was your 'duty' when I demanded that Hinata be killed?"

"Where was _your_ duty when I said we could take her in as a prisoner? There was no point in causing more senseless killing!"

"And now look what has happened! She's back in the clutches of the Sith, ready and willing to conquer worlds. And it seems to me that she does it all for _you_. Perhaps you're the problem?"

"That's ridiculous! You're confusing the facts with your own personal affairs. I don't know much about you, but I can feel your strong emotions about these matters."

"Fine. We'll report to the Temple..." Tapping on a newly projected holoscreen, Anakin called his wife. A young woman's face soon filled the holoscreen and her worried expression soon broke out into relief. Then surprise.

"Ani, your hair! What happened to your traditional Padawan hairstyle?" Her soft voice was as sweet and musical as Anakin had described.

Anakin's face broke into a warm smile. "I was Knighted yesterday. I came to tell you about it in person."

"That's so great!" Then a pause and a sad look. "Ani, your face..."

Unconsciously, Anakin reached up and touched the newly made scar. He shrugged, "It happens." He gave Naruto a sidelong glance.

"Who's that next to you?"

"He's just a fellow Jedi. Don't worry, he knows about us. He'll keep his mouth shut. I'm glad you're all right, Padmé... I was worried when Naruto told me there was an invasion. Can you leave?"

"Naboo is being evacuated as we speak. We were lucky and got a day's notice. But there are still many civilians left... How would it look if I left in their time of need?"

"How would it look if you died along with the rest of the planet? A needless sacrifice!" Anakin now looked a little scared. "Please, Padmé, get out... I'll do everything I can to protect our home. We should have reinforcements soon."

Slowly, the young woman nodded. "Stay safe, Ani."

"And you, my love." The holoscreen dispersed.

"Ani?" Naruto burst out laughing, and was hit again playfully... but harder than last time.

"We have to be serious, Naruto. This is a vital planet to defend. If they capture this planet, they could use it as a base for taking over the rest of the Outer Rim."

Naruto nodded in agreement. Then he snorted, "Okay... Ani."

"Shut up!"

* * *

Jiraiya stared through the large viewport of the massive starship. The Starfleet before him was a special case. Throughout most of the war, the CIS had used machines, with only a few living beings coming in here and there. But, through the Force, he could tell most of the army before him were living organisms. That meant real bloodshed. He sighed and shook his head. He had hoped to go through the war without actually having to kill a real sentient being himself.

And another thorn was in his side. Naruto seemed to have run off chasing that girl again. Another sigh escaped his mind. He really hoped that they weren't on some secluded planet jumping each other's bones like there was no tomorrow. How would _the rest of the Council view that_?

"We'll have to engage them in space, try to keep the battle from reaching the Temple. I'll take half of the Jedi to the temple, to prepare for an attack. The rest will stay here to take control of orbital defense. I want _all_ orbital bombing prevented. Is that clear? I'll also be taking a large portion of the five-oh-first." He made his plans clear to the present Commanders, who nodded.

"May the Force be with you."

* * *

Orochimaru's hands tingled. His feet itched like crazy, but he tried to ignore the phantom feeling. He stared around at his small group of Acolytes. They would be leading the attack on the Temple, flanked by thousands of Shock Troopers: the highly trained CIS equivalent of the 501st. Though they weren't cloned for battle, they were each soldiers with experience. The Sith were standing in a dark compartment of the transport ship, lit only by dim red bulbs lining the walls.

Hundreds of stealth ships were about to land, surrounding the massive Jedi Temple that was disguised as a government establishment, on the outskirts of the capital of Naboo. So, before they took the city, they had to destroy the Temple. Darth Sidious was very clear that the Temple be the primary target. And that was a task in and of itself, because the Temple was a small city in its own right.

Pein stood beside the Snake Sith, emotionless as ever. Orochimaru fingered the hilt of his lightsaber, eager for action. It had been weeks since he last fought, and he was curious just how much his new legs would change his fighting style. A small shifting movement of the ship let Orochimaru know the ship had landed.

Punching a large button, the ramp fell before him, and open permacrete ground stretched before him. He took a moment to take in the layout of the land, then charged with a battle cry. The Acolytes moved swiftly towards the towering Temple, thousands of black armored soldiers pouring from similar transport ships all around them.

Without warning, cannon-fire began ripping the ground around them. Blaster-fire filled the air.

Clone troopers poured out of seemingly nowhere, their shiny white armor glinting in the sunlight. With a snarl of fury, Orochimaru dove into enemy lines.

* * *

Naruto watched from above as the battle started. "That's an awfully big attack force... And they aren't machines."

"Just like the CIS to put us under this kind of pressure at a time like this. We have no choice but to fight with lethal intentions." Anakin sighed. "Let's just get inside the Temple."

Upon entering the hangar, after being checked and double-checked for being a member of the Republic, the two newly arrived Jedi stepped out into chaos. Clones marched around everywhere, listening to or giving orders. Jedi were arriving in a similar fashion as Anakin and Naruto. Worst of all, a loud siren now reached Naruto's ears that hadn't penetrated the sealed ship before. Seeing a familiar face, Naruto gasped.

"Sasuke?" The Uchiha stopped suddenly, looking around, seemingly to find the one that called out his name. Naruto waved him over, and the boy obliged. There was a complete change in the boy. His Jedi tunic was a soft red, and he wore no cloak. His combat boots were black with crimson trimming. Only his utility belt was the same: the standard Ilum graduation present that Naruto himself still used.

"Where's Master Kakashi?" Naruto asked, then noticed Sasuke was not wearing a traditional Padawan tail.

"He's defending the base of the Temple." Noticing what Naruto was looking at, Sasuke smirked. "After my mission on Hypori, I was granted the status of Jedi Knight. I'm the youngest to ever be granted this honor." Naruto was suddenly struck by a pang of jealousy.

"I'm happy for you." He wasn't.

Sasuke nodded. It was then that Naruto noticed a significant change in the boy's aura. When he had last met him on Ilum, Sasuke seemed to be on the verge of falling to the Dark Side of the Force. But now... Now he emanated a bright aura, as a Jedi Knight should. He even seemed to lose a bit of his normal arrogance.

"Look: Sakura told me about what happened to Hinata. She was really upset by it, especially since Hinata hasn't contacted her since her conversion. It must be hard for you." Naruto was completely bewildered by this sudden change in the Uchiha's nature.

"Naruto, I'm going to see the Temple's Council and see what I can do. Wait here." Anakin then left, and Sasuke offered Naruto to walk with him.

"When did you have time to talk with Sakura?" Naruto asked, trying to get over the fact that he was having a conversation with Sasuke, who seemingly went through a life changing experience. Even wilder, he was having such idle conversation _in the middle of a war!_

"When you rescued me from Hypori, Sakura and I had long talks on Tsunade's ship. I never realized how interesting she was before then." Sasuke let out a small smile. "Why didn't you and Master Kurenai inform the rest of the ship of Hinata's situation? We could have chased after her."

Naruto shrugged. His memory was fuzzy of the ship ride to Coruscant. After being informed of Hinata's decision, Naruto basically shut everything out for a while. He got the wake up call when he found himself in the middle of the High Council's room, being informed of his lineage. "It doesn't matter now. What's done is done."

Sasuke nodded. "There's something I need to tell you, Naruto." The Uchiha took Naruto by the elbow and pulled him into a hidden room. It appeared to be a secret bunker, probably made for the Younglings to hide in the case of an attack. Naruto suddenly had a pang of remembrance, and wished they had some of these back on Ilum. Perhaps things would have been different...

"Naruto, Master Kakashi is a determined man. He _absolutely_ despises the Sith. He won't tell me why, but I have conjectured that it has something to do with his childhood."

"But the Jedi Code forbids such strong feelings, especially as negative as that."

Sasuke nodded, turning away from Naruto. "You're becoming quite the celebrity of the war, Naruto. Short stories about a Jedi and a Sith in love are circulating throughout the galaxy." Turning his head, he looked at Naruto for a moment. "I can feel that these stories are true, and I almost know for certain that they are about Hinata and yourself."

Naruto took a few steps back, glaring at Sasuke. "If you've come to lecture me, why bring up Kakashi?" Naruto's voice was edged with steel.

"I was getting to that. When Master Kakashi heard about your little adventure, he seemed almost... beside himself. If he has the chance, he will not hesitate to kill Hinata. You must bring her back to our side before it is too late."

Naruto turned from the other Jedi and crossed his arms. "He wouldn't be able to lay a finger on her." He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't be over confident, Naruto. Do you remember how I was not too long ago, when I left for Hypori? Even after you rescued me, I was still falling through the cracks. I was angry. I felt lonely. I was on the verge of hating everyone and everything. I was a latecomer, Naruto, taken from my family at the age of three. I still have memories of my parents. They loved me; wanted to keep me. I felt angry with the Council for so long that my feelings began to fester and grow until I forgot anything that mattered. I hated for hating's sake. Until she came along..." He trailed off there, pulling his hand from Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto's eyes open wide, finally realizing what had changed Sasuke so dramatically. Naruto spun on his feet to face the Uchiha, who wore a small smile. "You and Sakura are...?" Sasuke nodded.

"She kept me company on Tsunade's ship as we traveled around until we ended up here a week ago. She pulled me back from the edge, just as I was about to descend into the Dark Side."

Naruto was at a loss for words. What was happening? Did _every_ Jedi have some sort of scandalous affair that did not adhere to the Jedi Code? All he could think of was, '_At least I'm not alone in the way I feel_.' But, Naruto knew his situation was far different. He was falling for a Sith. And not just any Sith; the most wanted Sith, besides Darth Sidious. At least, she would be if Anakin ever reports on what he had recently learned to the High Council.

"I just wanted to let you know that you can find an ally with Sakura and I. Both you and Hinata. But, there is some good that has come of this. Your little misadventures have brought hope to the people that this settling of differences between two so different can show that peace will come again. Of course, they don't know about either of you or your stories..." With a slight bow of the head, Sasuke quickly left Naruto to his thoughts.

* * *

The battle raged outside of the Temple, which was the main focus of the land invasion force of the CIS. Hour after hour the Shock Troopers sent wave after wave of attacks, trying to break the Temple's defense. But, with the tower's heavily fortified defenses and artillery, the CIS seemed to stand no chance. The Jedi only made appearances on the battlefield occasionally, which confused Orochimaru to no end.

Orochimaru was in full Shock Trooper armor, his helmet resting under his arm against his side as he looked down at attack plans. He was in a makeshift command center, positioned far enough away from the Jedi Temple to be safe from the vicious cannon-fire.

"We have been ordered to destroy the Jedi Temple first and foremost. Yet, due to anti-aircraft weapons, we can't get any bombers in there. We don't have a powerful enough shield to cover us from here into the temple, negating their heavy firepower. So we're left with ground combat, and we can't even make it passed their Clones!" Orochimaru flung his helmet to the ground, staring around at the highly trained soldiers around him. "Are we going to get showed up by a bunch of the same guy?"

A few murmurs passed through the small crowd in the command tent.

"The longer we concentrate on this Temple, the more time the city has to fortify against our attacks. And we still can't win the space battle! Why are we at this standstill?" Orochimaru fumed, glaring around the tent. His eyes rested on Pain. "We have to get in there and plant explosives on the foundations of the building. Most of the Jedi on Naboo are in there, so they would be crushed, leaving us to destroy the rest of the planet."

A few Shock Troopers nodded their helmet-covered heads.

"We must enter the sewer system."

* * *

**And **_**that's**_** how Anakin gets his scar.**

**This chapter was much easier to write, and I hope that means it's the end for my writer's block. **

**Thanks for reading, and if you're still with me, leave a review. Have a question? Feel free to ask. Any discussions you would like to have with me, I am open.**


	10. Reality is How it is Perceived

Naruto wasn't able to sleep much that night. Though his birthday had been long and hard, filled to the brim with the war, plain exhaustion was not enough to knock him out completely.

Tossing and turning for hours on end, outside forces only disturbing him when the building shook from the battle that continued to wage. He was in a soundproof room, shared with another ten Jedi who were in dire need of rest.

"Hinata..." Naruto mumbled, flipping over for the thousandth time that night. Fiery visions exploded in his head. Unbearable heat washed over him, causing the Padawan to break out into a sweat. Hardened voices of soldiers were screaming orders, so he took two pillows and sandwiched his head between them. It would not drown out the voices of all the dying men's screams.

Orochimaru popped into existence, glaring hatefully at the blond Uzumaki. His legs glinted in the firelight as he clanked forward, approaching Naruto with lethal intentions. As he struck, Naruto let out a small cry.

Everything stopped. Time stood still. Naruto now found himself on Drongar, identified by its rich atmosphere. Taking deep breaths, Naruto was able to still his heart. He looked around, noting that he was in some endless, lush green field of Bota. The many colors that peppered the valley gave Naruto a sense of well being.

"Hello, Naru." The voice snapped Naruto's attention, causing him to twist around to see the girl who was giving him so much grief.

"Hey, Hina..." He gave her a long look. Gone were her black combat clothes. She now stood before him in a modest white dress, streaming down her body in a silky flow. She stood barefoot before him, a loving smile on her face. But as he looked into those once pure lavender eyes, he noted the looming dark clouds still drifted behind the lenses. A soft breeze caressed Hinata's features, fluttering the dress in soft waves.

"What's the matter?" She stood no farther than a foot from him, yet Naruto felt she was light-years away.

"Everything!" Naruto was surprised at his small explosion, and he turned away from the Hyuuga in shame, hanging his head. He suddenly felt arms wrap around his abdomen, a body pressed closely to his from behind. He felt the girl rest her head on his back. He realized then that he was a head taller than she was.

"Tell me about it." It was not a statement. It was a request. Naruto took a deep breath.

"I've lied to my Master for you. You are now on the side I must fight. You are determined not to come back to the Light Side. The battle has now been brought to the last hidden Jedi Temple and the CIS show no signs of retreating. I feel like this war is becoming more and more senseless. It's pointless. I can't even remember my reasons for fighting..." He felt as if he was on the verge of tears. The universe was crashing around him. What had been daylight only seconds before turned into night. He observed the stars, which seemed to form constellations that continuously interchanged.

"My dear Naru, what have the Jedi taught you?" She unclasped her hands for a moment and brought her right palm to rest in the middle of his chest, above his heart. "Do not bottle in your worries. Cast them out. Let the Force guide you back into peace."

"Who are you to lecture me on Jedi teachings?" Naruto grumbled, but he knew she was right.

"Though I disagree with the Code, the teachings are useful." She unwrapped her hands from around Naruto, and gently coaxed him into turning around. Naruto stared into that wonderful face, with the lips he longed to touch.

"You're not even real. You're just my projection of the actual Hinata." Naruto stated this, but did not wish to believe it. He wanted to actually be there. He wanted Hinata and himself alone together on a quiet planet like Drongar.

"Naruto, reality is merely an allusion in and of itself. How can one know what a true reality is? Is it what you feel?" She poked him in the chest, and he felt it. "Is it what you hear?" He could hear her voice. "Maybe it's what you see?" She stood before him as plain as the day that had disappeared in only a few seconds. "Perhaps its what you taste..." She leaned forward, standing on her toes. Wrapping her arms gently around his neck, she gave him a sweet kiss. A few seconds later, she pulled back. She was proving a very good point. "Reality is what you make it. And who's to say I'm _not _real? Perhaps you're the fake one."

This threw Naruto off guard. "Me, an illusion? As if!" He gave her a smirk, and she smiled in kind. But it didn't take long for a deep frown to take its place upon his face. "Why are you helping the Separatists, Hinata? They are evil. Nothing good can come from their winning the war."

"If you still think I'm fake, then you know I'll give you an answer you could come up with yourself. So tell me, do you truly believe me to be a figment of your imagination?" She gave him a pouty look. Naruto thought about it long, and he thought about it hard. This is how he _wanted_ to see Hinata. But, then again, what was with her eyes? They were still clouded with the Dark Side. Perhaps it was just his mind trying to fool him into _thinking_ she was real. Perhaps it was to give more reality to this whole charade.

"If you are a mere figment, you're the most beautiful figment in the galaxy;" Naruto said it softly, embracing the girl with a soft hug. He wanted so much to never wake up. She giggled, responding to his show of affection accordingly.

"Hinata, why don't we just quit? We can get somewhere far away, hide on some deserted planet... Just get away from it all, you and I." Naruto closed his eyes as he rested his face against the top of Hinata's head, which was snuggled against his chest.

"Naruto, now that I've proven to be a powerful weapon, the CIS would never let me go. They would hunt me down, kill you, and then force me to win the war for them."

"And that is the side you are on. You would want to work with such demons?"

"You know as well as I do that the Republic would do the same. If you were a vital point in the war, one of their only chances of victory, they would never let you go either."

"It's not fair!" She laughed a little at this.

"Naruto, I have to go now."

"What, why?" He watched her release herself from him and take a few steps away. She seemed to be growing transparent. "Wait!"

She gave him a small, sad smile. "Yes?"

"We only talked about me. What do _you_ want?" He watched her for a moment, as she faded away. It had started at her feet and began working its way up.

"What have I always wanted?" It was now moving up her chest. "I will change the universe. I will make it a better place for everyone. The cult actions of the Jedi must be stopped. Only then can we be safely together."

"So everything you do is because of me? Hinata, there has to be something better than rebellion to solve our problem!" She looked at him a moment, only a neck and a head with the barest outline of a body.

"It's only rebellion if I lose. I intend to make this a revolution." And then she was gone.

Waking with a start, Naruto gasped as he felt cold. He was drenched in an icy sweat, his nightclothes clinging to his body. Reflecting on his dreams, he noticed he could remember every last detail. And the ending seemed most surprising to him. Had his mind really come to a conclusion that that was what she was doing? Or was it really her, somehow?"

* * *

Yoda looked at the young Sith before him, whom was completely unconscious. His red hair fell from his head in spikes, his dark clothing gone. They had stripped him down to his underwear, removed his boots, and dismantled his lightsaber.

"A symbol of love, the marking on his head is. Why, I must ask? A deep hatred I sense..." Yoda inhaled, grabbing the Force and pulling it around himself like a multi-layered blanket.

"Master Yoda, before Jiraiya left he had requested the boy be transferred to Coruscant for a hearing." One of the Clone troopers on guard stated, standing rigid and unmoving at the cell's side. Yoda nodded.

"Yes, fair treatment of prisoners, the Republic law offers. But, a time of war, this is." Yoda laid two hands on the gnarled knob of his cane then rested his head upon them. "A most difficult situation, hm?" Yoda had come as quick as he could when he found out a Sith with great power had been captured. He thought it might have been Hinata, which Yoda had been tracking in the Force extensively. She was a peculiar case; her Force flow seemed to diverge at times. She had attributes of both a Light Side user as well as a master of the Dark Side. He also came to enact on a new order that the Republic senate had passed that very day.

"Saddens me, it does. Of youth, a waste this will be." Yoda nodded to the guards, then turned away from the cell. He had come to see Hinata, to try and bring her back, but it seemed it had not been the will of the Force for her to be here in a cell. As he walked away, a great pain came over him, but he soldiered on. It was war, after all.

As Yoda reached the sliding doors, he heard the sizzling of the prison cell's barrier being deactivated. As he stepped across the threshold into the metallic corridor of the starship, he heard rounds of blasters go off. Then the doors shut and there was only silence and a pain in his heart.

* * *

"I think I see some floating shit." Though it was Orochimaru's idea, he deeply despised himself for ever mentioning going into the sewers. Now he couldn't stop himself from complaining. "And at the far end of the tunnel looks like... another drop. _Fuck_." They had already climbed or jumped down three levels of sewage, each time getting splattered with even more bile waste.

Having no choice, they plunged into the darkness. As they hit the bottom, Orochimaru noted that it was waist-deep in waste. Orochimaru was thankful for the waterproof armor and the vented helmet of the Shock Troopers.

"Sir," a Captain Shock Trooper said. "Through infrared, I can see the top. I believe this to be our mark, sir. Crosschecking with the blueprints now." A few seconds passed. "Yes, we are right below the temple."

"So let's place thermal detonators and get the hell out of here." Orochimaru said. A few coughs came from the soldiers around him. "What?"

"Sir, these are the main foundations for the whole sewer system. Should we take these out, it is likely that miles of tunnels in all directions will collapse as well."

"So?"

"All of our men and ships currently attacking the Temple will be crushed to death. The sheer amount of losses would cripple the CIS."

"Then we'll call a full retreat."

"I'm afraid that's not possible, sir. The Jedi would get suspicious and search the temple and lower vectors for any traps. Frankly, we were lucky to not be discovered on the way here. It's also possible that they have placed frequency sensors that could detect our equipment."

"And why wasn't I told all of this before we began our trek into this hellhole?" Orochimaru glared at the Captain, even though he knew the helmet covered all of his facial features.

"Sir, we thought you knew. We thought you had a brilliant plan to overcome these obstacles."

"Well, I don't! So what do you suggest we do, Captain?" Orochimaru snarled.

"I propose an invasion from below. Now that we have navigated our way here safely, we can go back and bring a larger attack force down. We'll climb to the top, find our way in, either by force or luck. We'll have the element of surprise, and take them from the inside out."

"Sounds like dirty work. Even with a surprise attack, the Jedi and the Clones are formidable warriors. Also, we'd only be able to get a certain amount of soldiers in at a time, leaving the first few waves vulnerable until help arrived." Orochimaru stared angrily up at the top of the labyrinth of stone, switching his own helmet to infrared vision.

"You are correct, sir. But under the current circumstances, it may be our only ticket in." Orochimaru nodded, then looked around at his men. Pein had stayed up top to direct the ground battle.

"Then we'll wait a few days and prepare. If things look grim, we'll return."

"Roger, roger." Orochimaru cringed as the present Shock Troopers all said it in unison. It reminded him of the stupid droids he had to deal with up until this battle.

"Don't ever say that again."

"Roger, roger."

Orochimaru growled.

* * *

Naruto met up with Anakin in the Temple's Council chambers. Many other Jedi were present as well, standing around as the esteemed Council members sat in their personal floating chairs. The room was circular, the normally large windows blockaded by segments of durasteel that were inches thick. Artificial light illuminated the room from above.

"We're going to reserve Jedi strength until it is needed," spoke one council member. "Should they breach our defenses, we will take the offensive and drive them out. Until then, we are going to dig in our heels and wait the attack out with as little Jedi involvement as possible."

Someone coughed. Out of the crowd stepped a large man with flowing olive-green robes and a wart-riddled nose. Jiraiya the Toad Sage Jedi. "We should be helping our Troopers, not hiding like cowards. I am not going to begin to tell you how to run the defense of your Temple, though my place on the High Council gives me the right to do so. But _I_ intend to be on the front lines very soon. Should any of you wish to accompany, I would most appreciate it." Jiraiya then noticed his apprentice, and gave him a blank expression. Naruto seemed to understand that Master Jiraiya was not about to order Naruto to go with him. It was his choice.

"It would be an honor to fight alongside you, Master Jiraiya." Anakin stepped forward, giving the Toad Sage a small bow. Jiraiya nodded in acknowledgment. Soon enough, many other Jedi stepped forward as well. Naruto was among them.

"Very well, Master Jiraiya." The head of the council said. "You can take a squad of Jedi out into the field and do as you wish."

Jiraiya nodded, looking at the twenty Jedi who decided to join him. Many of them Naruto had fought alongside on Corellia. "Get a set of full Jedi armor. I expect everyone ready in fifteen minutes."

* * *

Hinata woke slowly, taking her time to open her eyes. She did not want to wake from the dream she had been having. She was glad she could remember it with complete accuracy. Sitting up in the standard military bed, she glanced around the small, bare room. It seemed the stiff bed was the only piece of furniture. She noted that all her injuries were gone.

She dressed into a new set of her Sith armor, designed for withstanding glancing blows from a lightsaber. She clipped her trusty utility belt that she had carried with her through the years around her slim waist. She wasn't surprised to find only two lightsabers there.

She made her way to the bridge, where Kyuubi sat like a king at the top level in his large chair that overlooked the entire room. She came to stand beside him, not bothering to hide her contempt for the man. "You rescued me," she said flatly.

"We have more planets that need conquering. We can't let you go just yet." Kyuubi said it indifferently.

Hinata fingered at her original lightsaber hilt. She wanted so much to slice the man's head off. She hated him with all her being. Yet, he was Naruto's father. Even worse, he was her _Master_. She still cringed a little at the thought.

"You did well back on Corellia, my apprentice. We are now one planet closer to Coruscant. As soon as we take that planet, it will all be over. But, that may be many years away. It all depends on you..." He eyed her curiously. Hinata glanced down at the beast of a man. His crimson, furry ears twitched. He was helmet-less at the moment, for the first time in Hinata's presence. She could see a long, dark red mane flowing onto his broad shoulders.

"I will serve the Sith faithfully." And she would. Until she saw her chance to take the universe into her own hands. Kyuubi nodded at her words, then cast his gaze upon the large viewport directly ahead. Hinata looked out as well. A tunnel of swirling blue light stretched as far as her keen eyes could see.

* * *

Commander Jax was having a good day. The losses of his battalion were minimal, and their kill count was a personal record. The Shock Troopers had valor, he could admit to that. Their cunning attacks and impromptu defenses were formidable. But, with hundreds of yards of mines, pitfalls, and laser wire it was a near impossible task to get to the Temple. The temple lay in the middle of miles of military buildings and ground turrets. From above, it looked like a small city that bordered a larger city; the capital city of Naboo that was not more than five miles from the outskirts of the Temple's base. And with all the traps, the surviving troops were easy to pick off.

The initial attack had been rough. Thousands of Troopers accompanied by small teams of Sith had rushed headlong in, firing wildly. The CIS took heavy losses as they rushed into the traps the Clones had set only hours before. But their momentum allowed them to reach the walls of the military base, and many clones had died keeping them from entering. Eventually, the situation was once more under control.

Now, Commander Jax was playing a game he rather liked. He called it 'Smash the Living Crap out of the Enemy.' He didn't share this little bit of information with anyone else; knowing the name wouldn't catch. With artillery and sniper rifles firing nonstop, Jax had been fairly certain the Shock Troopers would pack up soon before the first night was over. Now that it was the next day, Jax realized that the enemy was digging themselves in for a long battle. He didn't like that at all.

"All right, men. The Darkies want a fight. They want to prove their superiority over a few clones. What do we have to say to that?" Jax stared expectantly at his soldiers, who replied with booming laughter. Jax joined them. "We'll keep back and let them get rid of all the mines. Then we'll watch as the hidden laser wire slices their legs from beneath them. We'll laugh when they fall into the twenty-foot deep pits, into the waiting spikes. Then, when they're up close and personal, we'll laugh in their face as we show them what _real_ soldiers are!" His warriors responded with loud cries and roaring "hoorahs".

"Commander Jax." A strong voice came from behind the Commander's back, so he turned.

"Ah, General Jiraiya. In what way may we be of service, sir?"

"I need you to tell me about the battle. Where the Shock Troopers' main base is presumably located would be a good start."

The Commander then noticed that another twenty or so Jedi flanked the General. Jax nodded then began giving an extensive report on what he had observed so far. The main concentration of troops was dead ahead, just out of artillery and sniper range. It seemed to be where they had set up their command center. Jiraiya nodded every so often as Jax briefed the General on all that he knew.

"Anything else, sir?"

Jiraiya shook his head, then stared out in the direction of the enemy's camp. The white armor that all the Jedi before Jax wore resembled his own. But their sets covered less, and were slightly smaller. It allowed for more mobility, which Jedi needed to perform at their greatest potential during battle.

"All right, spread out. We'll take guard duty. Should anyone see anything unusual, immediately report it through via comlink." Jiraiya said, and the rest of the Jedi nodded and dispersed. All except Naruto. Jiraiya nodded in a direction, signaling the Padawan to walk with him.

"Master Jiraiya, I have failed you." It was a simple statement, but Jiraiya knew how hard it is to admit a mistake.

Jiraiya looked down at his student. "You have done what I have been teaching you. You acted on pure instinct, letting the Force guide your movements. Don't let your mind get in the way of your connection with the Force." They walked in silence for a few moments, observing the constantly moving troops.

"Master, I know you can read me like a book. Tell me, what do you think of my recent actions?" Naruto looked up at his teacher with an earnest expression.

Jiraiya sighed deeply, slowing his pace a bit. "I am on your side, Naruto. I have fought against the Council about the Code since the moment I joined. But, every time I am overruled. I have seen what love can do. It can tear down whole planets. It can build civilizations. It has the power to turn the darkest hearts pure, and vice versa. I will not tell you what to do with your emotions; no one can. I can only advise you. Follow the Code, Naruto, and you will become a powerful Jedi. Free yourself of attachments and you could become the Grand Master one day. Of course, that is a life of such hardship and pain that I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, let alone my Padawan." Jiraiya paused for a moment. He then stopped and turned towards his student. He looked him up and down, then shook his head with great remorse.

"The Senate has passed a new order. All Sith are to be killed on sight." Judging by Naruto's shocked and pained expression, Jiraiya knew the boy wasn't about to kill Hinata. Jiraiya leaned down to whisper in his pupil's ear. "If I were you, son, I would make sure you were the only Jedi that saw Hinata from now on." With that, Jiraiya walked away leaving Naruto standing there with an empty look.

* * *

Sasuke stared at Sakura for a moment. Her hair was short, only shoulder length, except for the tight Padawan tail that trailed behind her right ear and down her back. Her light red, almost pink, tunic fit her womanly curves perfectly. The smile she wore on her face at just seeing him was enough to plaster a smile on Sasuke's own face. That is, until he remembered why he had sought her out.

"Sakura, the Council has discovered the new weapon's origin. They've determined that, until the Sith responsible is destroyed, the blackness on Corellia will only continue to grow until it consumes the planet. And they know who the Sith is..." He stepped closer to her, held up his hand to caress her cheek. She took his hand into her own and gave it a loving squeeze.

"That's wonderful. We'll be that much closer to winning the war." Sakura offered a nervous smile, seemingly aware of Sasuke's glum expression.

"It's Hinata." Sasuke watched as any happy emotion drained from Sakura's face. She stepped away with a pained expression clouding her normally vibrant, happy eyes.

"No! It can't be. Hinata could never cause so much suffering..." Sakura shook her head firmly.

"I've been given a mission to track her down... and destroy her." Sasuke examined Sakura's reaction closely. First, she looked up with horror in her eyes. Then she exploded.

"No, you can't! She's still a good person, I just know it! We can save her, Sasuke. You and I can go out and convince her to come back..." Sasuke cut her off.

"No. I'm to leave tomorrow, to head back into the Core Worlds, and wait on the next planet in the line of CIS attack. If I can get rid of her, the CIS will lose one of their biggest advantages in the war. Then we can end it before any more planets are captured, before many more lives are lost. It's best for the Republic, best for the-" Sakura was glaring at him, and Sasuke was beginning to feel uneasy.

"We can't do that to her. Can you not remember our days on Ilum? She was one of us! We grew up with her. You can't just forget about all that." Sakura folded her arms and gave the Uchiha a look.

"She's a _Sith_ now, Sakura. She isn't one of us anymore." Sasuke looked into the Haruno's stubborn green eyes and sighed. He reached out to touch her hand, but she pulled away.

"Sasuke, she _loves_ Naruto. _He_ can bring her back to our side!" Sakura now had a look of pleading on her face.

Sasuke turned from the girl and shook his head. "I've got my orders, and I will fulfill them to the best of my ability."

"Then why did they pick you? Why not a more experienced Jedi?" Sakura screamed, her fists clenched at her sides.

Sasuke waited a long moment, deciding whether to answer truthfully or not. He then walked to the hatchway of the room, which sensed him and opened with a soft hiss. "They believe she will not kill someone she once knew. And out of everyone on Ilum, I was least close to her. It seems like the perfect balance to me." He then left without another word.

Sakura let out a bloodcurdling scream. Things were _not_ going right in her world.

* * *

Hinata stared at the ugly man before her. He had a flat nose, jagged teeth, and one of his ears was missing. His arms looked strong, but he had a large belly. He was clothed in what appeared to be some kind of black hide, but in the darkness Hinata could not see much. In his hand he held a frayed loop of rope. "Get over here, ya runt." The man squealed, his pig-like voice catching Hinata off guard. She heard a small whimper as he savagely yanked on his end of the rope.

From out of the shadows, a girl came sprawling to the ground. The man grunted and yanked on the leash again, forcing the small form to stand. The moonlight caught her scared, pure white eyes. They left Hinata breathless, but she showed no outer sign of her surprise or elation. She had thought she'd never see a Hyuuga again in her life.

Hinata looked the girl up and down, then shook her head slowly. "You're asking _how much_ for... this?" She waved her hand in the younger Hyuuga's direction, almost in a way that suggested the girl to be worthless.

"She's one of the very last of her kind." The man's voice came. He grunted and pulled on the leash once more, forcing the girl to fall against his barely covered gut. He ran a gritty hand through her unkempt hair and gave Hinata a disgusting smile. "Still a virgin, too. That's a rare find."

Hinata suddenly felt complete and utter hatred for this man. He was a slave trader, based on Coruscant. But, due to increased security, he had to move his 'services' to the Outer Rim. When Hinata had been sent on a mission three days after her encounter with Naruto on Corellia to Tatooine to secure the treaties with Jabba the Hutt, she had caught word of a Hyuuga circulating in the Slave Market. Now that she had found the poor girl, she would do anything to protect one of her own.

Hinata removed a lightsaber from her belt. The man instantly recognized the weapon and his eyes grew wide.

"No fee, young lass! Here, she's all yours!" He gave the girl a violent shove and began backing away slowly. Hinata gently caught the whimpering girl as she fell against her body.

"It's okay now. I'll protect you." Hinata whispered, then glared up at the man whom was steadily putting space between himself and the Hinata. Feeling such strong hatred for this vile man, she knew she would not be satisfied until he no longer existed. "Close your eyes." She whispered again, a gentle kindness lacing her voice. The girl looked up at her and only nodded, doing as she was told.

For extra measure, the dark alley began to get even darker. Hinata glanced down at her lightsaber as it extended to its full length with a crackle. It was its normal lavender color, but began flickering. Letting her hatred out of herself, he lightsaber's usual thrum of activity ceased and the whole blade was matte-black. She waived it a bit, noting its new silence.

Creeping forward, sensing her prey's fear, Hinata let the rest of her motions out. Complete darkness ensued.

* * *

**I think this is the only chapter to not have a lightsaber fight in it, besides the Prologue. I'm not sure if that is a good or a bad thing.**

**Thanks for reading, and if you still like it, feel free to click the green button below. And, as always, if you have questions, feel free to ask.**


	11. Attack from Below

Hinata programmed coordinates into her ship's CPU then activated the Hyperdrive. A few seconds later the ship made the jump to hyperspace. Hinata turned in her swivel chair, away from the viewport, to her new companion. She stared at the small girl who couldn't be any older than twelve. She was now in a simple outfit: comfortable black running shoes, black pants and a matching sleeveless top. The attire matched her dark, pitch-black hair. And it would contrast with her bright Hyuuga eyes, Hinata knew.

For a while, Hinata didn't say anything. She only watched the girl, who was curled up and sleeping in the chair next to her. With a rush of anger, Hinata noticed a dark ring around the girl's neck from the collar she had been wearing. A sudden rush of love came over Hinata, as well as a great pain. Small tears sprang to the corners of Hinata's eyes as she went over what little memories she had of her family.

"We may well be the last of our kind," she said to the sleeping girl, brushing the tears away gruffly. "And I'll be damned if I let Kyuubi get his ugly claws into you." She then made a vow to herself to protect this girl as if she were her own. _And now that I think about it, she will be my own now._

* * *

Kyuubi Uzumaki marched through the dark corridors with a purposeful stroll. He stopped at a dead end; a flat metal wall that just ended his path. With a wave of his hand, Kyuubi Forced the door open and stepped through, allowing the entryway to close as soon as he was across the threshold. There, in the center of the room, was a mass of dark clothing; the folds of the cloak flowing down a hunched, meditating figure. A voice spoke with a drawl, filling the room with a malicious air.

"Kyuubi," the voice breathed, "I sense a disturbance in your apprentice's Force flow." The cloaked body sat up straighter as it took in a larger, deeper breath. Kyuubi felt a pulse of Palpatine's power; it filled the room, up to the smallest atom. "Yes," the whole breath was let out during this one word, letting it draw out for a seemingly endless time. Suddenly, Kyuubi found the yellowed eyes of Darth Sidious gazing into his own. "She is gaining power, Kyuubi. A great amount of power..."

Kyuubi had surmised as much as he observed his student. Ever since the planet Corellia had been conquered, Hinata's strength has grown exponentially. Reports from the dismal planet showed that the darkness Hinata had left behind had grown until it absorbed the entire planet. Kyuubi could only theorize, but he would bet his left lightsaber that the darkness was not normal. He believed it was a part of Hinata's own being, and was feeding off the midi-chlorians it came in contact with. And when all the midi-chlorians were gone, so too would the planet. Their initial goal had been to use Corellia as a base, but its moon would do. And with that established, it would be child's play to take over the other four planets surrounding the sun known as Corell. The Correllian system would be theirs. It was just a matter of time before they were able to assemble an invasion force strong enough to move deeper into the Core Systems.

"Master, I believe she has the greatest potential I have ever seen. She will be the weapon the CIS needs to conquer the Republic." Kyuubi stated it in a manner that said what he believed was more than just a belief, but a matter of fact.

Darth Sidious eyed the Uzumaki for a moment, then cast his eyes downward. He began breathing deeply once more, his power pulsing rapidly now. Kyuubi found his whole body tensing against the sheer presence of the Sith Master.

"Good, good," Palpatine's voice was slow and deliberate, his pitch rising towards the end of each sentence. "Kyuubi, see to it that your son does not impair your judgment again. You had the perfect opportunity to kill a powerful Jedi, and you did not take it. Was I wrong to allow you to attempt to convert Naruto Uzumaki?" Palpatine spoke plainly, but the tone of his voice was clear. He did _not_ want to be disappointed again.

"I'm sorry, master. I will not fail you again." Kyuubi bowed his head, but he ground his teeth.

"See that you don't."

* * *

Sasuke was a man of many talents. And one of those talents was his ability to identify people by their Force signature. When he met someone with the ability to control the Force, he never forgot the signature they gave off. And, as the years passed and he refined his abilities, he learned that a Force signature always hung in any space, even in the quantum foam between dimensions. Which meant he could track someone down, even through hyperspace.

He had told Sakura he was going to wait on the next planet in line for CIS invasion. The Council had told him to tell her this. He had no desire to lie to the girl who saved him from corruption and pain, but he had his orders. As Hinata's old best friend, the Council did not trust Sakura completely.

Sasuke had stopped at Corellia first. His ship was small, but fully livable. It was the only one of its kind. It had state-of-the-art stealth equipment, and ran on virtually no energy. This allowed it to run thermal-free. Light bending technology allowed the ship to become a 3D two-way mirror, masking its presence from organic and electronic eye alike.

When he stopped by Corellia, right in the middle of a CIS stronghold, he was not surprised that he was not caught. But still, he was relieved. _Very_ relieved. The ship had cost the Jedi Order, personally, a fortune. It was a ship that was fully customized, built from the best minds in the known universe. It's Hyperdrive alone was a testament to the intelligence of these people. It allowed seamless entering and exiting from the hyperspace tunnel, which was absolutely crucial for Sasuke's mission.

After establishing Hinata's slightly altered Force signature by sensing the blackened planet below, Sasuke could feel a trail. Plugging coordinates into his ship, he headed off for a planet he recognized as uninhabited.

* * *

Orochimaru shook his head and glared at Pein, even though he knew the helmet blocked all of his own facial expressions. So he ripped the helmet from his head and let the apathetic man know he was angry. "You think I don't _know_ that we are losing this battle, you son of a bitch? I _do_ damn well know, thanks." Orochimaru growled and turned from the man. They had been getting grilled for the past two weeks. And Orochimaru still caught glimpses of the blond he hated so much, either fortifying the Republic base's defenses, or making a counterstrike with a small band of Jedi.

"Captain, gather your best men." Orochimaru stared off into space, not looking at the Shock Trooper who now stood at attention. "We're going down under."

* * *

Naruto was getting anxious for the battle to end. He knew that battles such as these could last for many months, but he needed to go out and find Hinata. He had not seen her in any dreams lately, and he was getting worried. He had convinced himself that their meeting was real. Though they had not met in a physical sense, they had still connected on some plane of consciousness. He _felt_ that it had been real, in a way.

And now, staring at the ceiling, he thought of Hinata for the millionth time. He wondered what she was doing. Where was she? Was she safe? Was she conquering another planet? It seemed to Naruto that she had been lying low since Corellia. He had not heard any reports of any planets being overtaken by a black, expanding nothingness.

With a sigh, Naruto rolled over in his bed. He was exhausted from making hit-and-run strikes at the Shock Troopers' camp. So, finally pushing Hinata from his mind, he fell into a fitful sleep.

Screams filled his ears as blasterfire filled the air. Burning ozone wafted into his nose and a rumbling sent vibrations through his body. Orochimaru stood before him, cackling. He raised a lightsaber and struck it down at Naruto. Recoiling, Naruto fell on to his rear in a soft patch of tall grass.

Now, a sun smoldered softly in the sky, giving Naruto's surroundings a gentle illumination. The multicolored field gave off a faint, sweet sent. Standing up, Naruto took a long breath of air into his nose, breathing in the scent of Drongar. He smiled, letting peace come over him. The first peace he had felt since the time he had seen Hinata two weeks previously.

"Hey, Hina." This time, he decided, he'd be the one to greet _her_ first. He turned around, a big smile on his face. Gone was his armor. He was left only in his normal Jedi garb, his two lightsabers on either side of his belt. He saw Hinata in her white dress, bare-footed. She smiled at him as the wind fluttered through her hair. He noticed her own lightsabers hidden in the folds of her dress. He allowed himself a moment to think of how she and he had both started out with only one weapon.

"Hello, Naru." She took a step towards him.

He wanted so much to hug her, to feel her. He wanted his mind to trick him into believing this moment was real, that they were actually together, far away from the war. But, he held himself fast. And he had so much to tell her... But he didn't know if what he wanted to say was considered treason or not.

"Hinata, this can't go on forever. We must decide on what to do." He gave her a meaningful look, searching her eyes for some sort of guilt; anything that he could use to pressure her into returning to the light side of the Force. He saw nothing advantageous.

She only shook her head and took a step forward. She smiled at him again; her love for him going unhidden in her face. "It is apparent that neither of us intends to give up on the path we have chosen for ourselves. But, is this world not proof enough that we can still be together? There is a way." She smiled at him deviously. Naruto cocked a brow in her direction.

"And what would that be?" He allowed her to embrace him. He found it actually made him feel a lot better. As if on instinct, he wrapped his arms around her in return.

"We end all contact with each other in the real world. And if we meet, we act as if we hate each other. We'll only be together in this world... This perfect safe haven where no one can touch us." Her face was closing in on his now, and Naruto was leaning into the contact. As the kiss deepened, Naruto had to force himself to pull away.

"But how does that solve anything?" It was madness, after all. How could they only be together in a dream world? And to fight in reality? It was insane!

"We'll work our way up. We'll both do our best to make our respective side win. To the winner go the spoils." Hinata now cast her gaze deep into Naruto's own. He sensed that she was searching for something.

"What is it?"

"I'm just wondering how you plan to bring us together... if you win. Will you rebuild the Republic; reform the Jedi Order?" She seemed to have a tremble in her voice. Naruto knew this was some sort of test.

"I cannot come to such power... It would corrupt me." Naruto let go of the Hyuuga and turned away, casting his eyes to the sky, which was alive with the bright dots of distant stars and the pale glow of the moons.

"So you would rather stay the pawn of the Republic, as well as the Order? Naruto, listen to yourself! Are you so brainwashed that you cannot see that the High Council is corrupt itself? They do whatever they feel will advance their own little organization! They commit genocide on planets that they capture from the CIS!"

Naruto refused to believe her, so he only shook his head in response to Hinata's heated words. When he turned back to her, he could see angry tears welling up in her eyes.

"Do you not want us to be together?" She stared him straight in the eyes, unblinking. Why could she not understand that it was more complicated than that? Naruto sighed and averted his gaze. Hinata huffed, "Well. Good luck, Naru. But _I_, on the other hand, will stop at nothing to mold this universe into a new, more accepting empire. _My_ empire."

Just as Naruto opened his mouth to cajole her: to try to do some damage control, he woke up. He sighed and began to get ready for another day of fighting.

* * *

Orochimaru glanced at his leading officer as he reviewed the military resources they would be taking into the sewer system.

"We've batted at the Jedi's defenses long enough. It's time to level the playing field so we can finally end this cursed battle. Pein, you'll lead a strong assault on the Jedi's front, distracting them from anything else. Be relentless: no yielding until we emerge. When we're in, we'll have the element of surprise. As we battle our way outward, their warriors will be too scattered and confused to be effective. We'll crush them in one effective move." Orochimaru brought his gloved fist into his other hand with a resounding _smack_ to emphasize his point.

The Shock Trooper Lieutenant pulled the helmet from her head and gave Orochimaru a wry smile as she shook her longish, purple locks from her face. "Permission to speak freely, sir." It was Anko Mitarashi, an elite soldier who rose through the ranks easily and was on her way to the top. Her pale green eyes were sharp with intelligence, and her form-fitting armor graced her womanly features well.

Orochimaru sighed, "Permission granted. But if you're going to nag me about the loss of soldiers lives again, save it. I'm getting tired of hearing your constant bitching..."

Anko took his remark in stride, putting on a confident visage. "If we lead a frontal assault, Jedi turrets will mow down every incoming infantryman within range. There's no way Pein could lead enough forces to distract them from this kind of underground infiltration. I suggest we use guerrilla tactics..." She then touched the holographic interface floating in the center of the dimly lit tent, where all Commanding Officers were gathered around. She plotted out the course and calculated the timing to utter perfection.

Orochimaru rolled his eyes at Anko's modified tactics. Of course she was right. It would cut CIS losses by roughly ninety-five percent. _I'm a fucking gang leader, not some elite General. Whose smart idea was it to put _all_ Force-sensitives into positions of commanding power?_ Orochimaru chuckled. "I don't care what the ground assault entails. Don't bullshit me with details. I just want the Jedi completely unaware when I come busting up their asses out of their toilets." He saw the annoyed look on Anko's face, then turned away and coughed. "Good work, Lieutenant. I expect you at my side as we go underground." He heard a shuffle of movement as he was moving towards the exit, and he knew he was being saluted.

"Yes, sir."

He threw up his hand and twisted his finger in a circle as he walked through the exit, signaling for everyone to get prepared. _Damn that woman. This whole battle she's been down my throat about everything. _He continued through the CIS camp, occasionally getting saluted. He sighed as he actually found himself nodding at some of the Troopers. _I think she's starting to affect me. _

* * *

Sasuke walked around a crashed Jedi fighter, which was in a small crater of burnt vegetation. He knelt down, noticing a few drops of blood on a jagged piece of metal. He quickly analyzed it with his datapad. "A match?" He whispered aloud, glancing down at the blinking device. An image of Naruto popped up on the screen, and a holographic image, albeit a few years outdated, popped up from the small crystal on the pad. "Why was Naruto here?"

Looking around, he saw another crashed fighter ship. He jogged over to it. It was even more damaged than Naruto's ship. He could sense Hinata's Force signature emanating from the vehicle. "He was here with Hinata? Hmm..." And strange enough, he was picking up two more familiar essences. "Kyuubi and Anakin Skywalker? Just what happened here?" He glared around, trying to produce an image of what had happened. Nothing came.

He made his way back to his ship to follow the rest of the trail.

* * *

Naruto groaned as another squad of Shock Troopers took out a heavy turret. They were using hit-and-run methods that minimized their losses, as well as maximizing their damage. With smaller units, they were able to slip past many defenses to make a devastating assault. And then, before anyone could give any return fire, they were gone.

It had been a most unusual and headache inducing day for the Uzumaki. Running all around the base to try and counterattack was beginning to have its toll on the teen. After getting the fire under control, Naruto saw Anakin talking to a Clone Commander. Naruto strode over to greet his newest friend.

"Hey." It was a simple greeting, and Naruto was starving for some kind of friendly talk. This battle was starting to get to his core.

Anakin turned around as the Clone went off, yelling at a few rookies to shoulder heir arms properly. "Ah, Naruto, you can't imagine how glad I am to see you. We need to talk." Anakin led the Padawan to a private area, next to the smoldering remains of an unfortunate post that had been decimated. "The soldiers are getting restless. They want to lead a counter attack to the Shock Trooper base. They seem to think that these new tactics are a sign of desperation. I was wondering if you could talk to your master and convince him to lead an assault..."

Naruto sighed and shook his head in annoyance. He had came to Anakin to get a moment of reprieve _from_ the battle, not to take it to the next level. "He seems pretty adamant about defending the Temple, not about winning the battle."

"They're one in the same." Anakin said with a grimace, putting his hand on Naruto's shoulder and looking him in the eye. "The Jedi forget it often, but these men are out here dying for the Republic. They are Clones, yes, but they are also _men_. Though they wear helmets and look the same, each of those men is alive and fully self-aware. Each time one of them dies, a Jedi looks past it like it doesn't matter. Because to most, they _don't._ Some would argue that this is what they were made for... But I don't care. I'd just tell them that the creators are horrible for doing this. Naruto, they need your help!"

Suddenly, Naruto could see thousands of Clones dying before him. The deaths on Ilum. The deaths on Corellia. The countless deaths that had happened in this battle. With those helmets, it was hard to think of them as anything other than faceless war machines. Now, Naruto could feel truth flowing into him through his connection with the Force. And he was ashamed. "I'll... I'll se what I can do."

Anakin grinned and nodded, removing his hand from his friend's shoulder. "That's all I ask."

* * *

Looking up through his helmet's visor, Orochimaru could see the enhanced image of the permacrete wall that separated the Jedi Temple from the sewers below.

"Charges set, General." Anko said through the comlink, as was necessary to hear while his helmet was on. She stood beside him, tall and slender in her form-fitting armor. He could feel a sudden shiver run up his spine, but he blocked it out. The woman's effects on him wouldn't cease their annoying siege on his bodily functions.

"Detonate when ready, Captain." He had promoted her himself after she had came up with the brilliant plans for invading the Jedi base. After all, she had deserved it.

"Well, that won't be necessary until we actually reach the breach point, General." Anko laughed her sweet laughed, but it didn't perturb Orochimaru's embarrassment any less. He pulled out his grappling gun, as the others did, and stayed silent for a moment to keep his cool.

"Begin ascent." Through the helmet's audio receiver, he heard the thump of two hundred grappling guns being launched. When each soldier was in their assigned place, the charges would detonate. And then, two by two, the large battalion would gather in the large septic tank that had already been drained before preparing the charges. From there, they would use a laser drill to stealthily tunnel their way to the approximate location of the Temple. And with a few more charges, Orochimaru would lead twenty acolytes and nearly two hundred of the finest Shock Troopers the CIS have available into the Temple to end the battle.

* * *

Sasuke now stood by a rotting corpse of a large man with minus a head. The alley was hot and dusty, like all places on Tatooine, but seemed darker than the bright duo-suns should allow at midday. Crouching next to the stinking corpse, Sasuke could feel the Force signature of Hinata Hyuuga all around him. "She's been here recently," he observed, prodding at the corpse with his lightsaber hilt. "Rigor mortis has already set in, so she's probably only a day or two away by now."

Standing to his full height, he looked around for more clues. Tatooine was a place for the scum of the universe to gather and deal in their illegal businesses. But it was also a place that was made up of the most elite scum, so it was untouchable by the Republic's legal probing. So what was Hinata doing here? And why would the CIS care about this filthy planet, anyway?

Stepping back fully into the two sun's glares, Sasuke summoned his ship. "I'll have you soon, Hinata."

* * *

"Master, the troops want to lead a counterattack on the CIS base. They believe that the Shock Troopers are getting desperate to be using such moves against us." Naruto strode beside his ever-moving Master, who seemed to be heading to no place in particular. They seemed to be roaming the great corridors of the Temple aimlessly.

"But they lack Jedi intuition. Naruto, something has been bothering me..." Jiraiya's eyes twitched to the left, then the right. The Master of the Force took a turn, and Naruto found himself in a small, darkly lit room. A trans-galactic map lit up the room as it popped up from the holocron crystal in the center of the floor. Striding over to the map, Jiraiya studied it. Naruto moved closer. "Something is not right. The Force feels almost... foreboding." The Toad Sage sighed as he moved himself onto the floor into a meditative position. Naruto did the same, directly across form his Master.

"Why are you called the Toad Sage, Master?"

"Well," the older man began, grinning,"I am of a race that evolved from a group of amphibians. We ruled our planets with our greater intelligence for thousands of years. But as adaptation changed us to become more technologically suited, we came into a biped structure. More human-like, if you will." Jiraiya grunted then, a sneer coming to his lips. "Humans are the most common form of intelligent life, so anything that remotely looks like them is classified as such. Perhaps _they_ look like _us._" He grinned then, shaking his head and chuckling. "Anyway, I grew up strong and healthy, but was soon noticed for my intelligence. I grew up to become the leader of our nation at age thirty, in Standard years, and made our nation strong. As the years passed, my knowledge only grew. I lived to be two hundred years old before a few Jedi came to ask my planet into the Republic." Jiraiya laughed as Naruto's Jaw dropped and his eyes grew wide.

"How can you be two hundred? You said that Master Sarutobi was your own Master!" Naruto pointed a finger accusingly, making Jiraiya settle down into a grin.

"I never said he was older than me, though. In fact, I'm the second oldest member of the High Council, and the whole Jedi Order, for that matter. I may not look it, but I'm two hundred and fifty years old, Naruto. This is why the Humans call me the Toad sage, and titled me as such in the Jedi Archives. But the Jedi also have a secret reason for this title. I may be old and wise, by Human standards, but by Jedi standards I am far more gifted. Do you remember back on Corellia, what I said to you?"

Naruto nodded. _I may not live in the future, but I do have a very refined skill for predicting it._ It had seemed so insignificant back then.

"Well, I was not able to keep my seat as my nation's leader on my home world for one hundred eighty years for nothing. I had a very unique gift; I could sense, or see, the future in regular intervals. I almost have the power to call upon the ability at will, though it comes often enough it's almost like it's a sixth sense. I _dream_ the future, Naruto. And the immediate future does not look so bright." The ancient man sighed and wrinkled his warted nose as he gazed over at the holomap.

"What are we to do, then, Master?" Naruto asked.

"We'll have to wait." They didn't have to wait long.

* * *

Orochimaru was through the hole first, his body tense. He knew that some sort of alarm would have to go off, even though they had used every sort of stealthy trick Anko had at her disposal to get in quietly without raising suspicion. The charges had melted right through the permacrete and durasteel foundations, barely making a whisper. And as soon as the tunnel was finished, a spray of nitrogen instantly cooled the molten hole.

The body suits every member of the mission, including Orochimaru himself, was specially equipped with stealth units, which would block any frequency reader that may be set to detect hostile technology.

And now Orochimaru crept into the small droid closet that would only be able to fit ten, maybe fifteen Shock Troopers at most. Orochimaru gritted his teeth. If they were caught now, they'd be defeated easily. As the room filled, Orochimaru looked up at his Heads-up-Display. A small map with blinking dots could be seen at the very corner of his vision, and a purple dot stood beside his position, where all the other dots were blue. The Captain, Anko Mitarashi.

"Activate stealth mode." A voice whispered over the Comlink, thought it wasn't necessary. With the helmets on, no sound would escape unless the external speakers were switched on. Orochimaru followed Anko's orders, noticing how his suit sensed the light around it, then bent it around himself. It was enough camouflage to keep from being spotted by a quick glance, but not a long inspection.

As the room filled past holding capacity, a mere twenty soldiers, Anko gave the order to move. Orochimaru was first out, glancing around quickly for any sign of motion. All clear. It was a long hallway, openings on each side. The walls were ornately decorated, gilded with gold. But Orochimaru knew each wall would be reinforced with the strongest and most refined durasteel.

"I want ten scouts on each side of the hall, their rifles silenced. Use your vibroblades, if possible, for a quick and clean kill. I want no Republic member in this hall. Move, soldiers!" Anko barked, twenty men departing to keep watch. As their assault force gathered into the hall and small droid closet, things were looking up. They still had not been detected. "We'll plant the melting mines in the opposite wall. The wave-reading map in my suit has made a layout of the whole first floor. Across from us is the mess hall, and it's dinner time..." She chuckled, and Orochimaru grinned. _Dangerous and beautiful, my kind of woman._

As soon as the mines were set, a Trooper yelled "Clear!" They detonated, leaving a gaping, molten hole in the two feet thick wall big enough for five men at a time to charge in side by side. The Troopers wasted no time. The men equipped with Nitrogen-throwers went in first, freezing their way through. _And anyone else on their way in_, Orochimaru chuckled as he charged in after them. _Come out to play, little Naru!_

* * *

An alarm sounded, an automated voice droning out "Code Red, this is not a drill. Code Red, this is not a drill..."

Naruto hopped to his feet, his Master already striding from the room cursing himself. Naruto ran after him as his Master picked up the pace.

"I should have known! Those bastards... They came right up from under us!" Jiraiya snarled, and Naruto was left wondering how his Master knew. As soon as Naruto noticed where they were headed, a feeling of dread entered his lower stomach. The mess hall, where the teachers and students of the Force were gathered for dinner. Soon enough, the halls were filled with clone troopers and Jedi running one way, as a stream of frightened children headed in the opposite direction.

Upon entering the dining area, Naruto was appalled at what he saw. The huge room was usually orderly, with long many long tables lying all across the floor. Now, the tables were burning and bodies lay everywhere. A gaping hole on the opposite side of the room, directly across from where Naruto stood, had Shock Troopers flowing from it, killing as they went.

Naruto's fists filled with his lightsabers and he was immediately on the enemy. He cut down two soldiers before a crushing kick was delivered into his chest. He fell back onto his back, hard, gasping for breath. Above him stood the man he had fought three times before.

"Like the new legs, Naruto? They're my gift from you!" He kicked at Naruto again, but the Uzumaki rolled away, pulling himself to his feet in a defensive stance.

"Orochimaru, you vile creature! You can't fight a real Jedi, so you slaughter younglings? How pathetic!" Naruto could barely control his anger. It was the massacre on Ilum all over again. Naruto had expected a verbal answer, but all he got was an eye load of Orochimaru. He had crossed the space between them in an instant. _He's so much faster now!_ Parrying blow after blow, Naruto was forced backwards. As Orochimaru brought his blade down in a two handed slash; Naruto knocked it away with his left-hand blade, counterattacking with the other. Orochimaru ducked under the slash and elbowed Naruto in the ribs, cracking his Jedi armor that was meant only for absorbing and deflecting blasterfire.

Naruto found himself against a wall, smashing away Orochimaru's furious swipes, unable to attack back. Leaping to the right as Orochimaru made another over handed strike, Naruto saw Orochimaru's lightsaber sink into the steal wall. With his brief second of reprieve, Naruto bounded away, using the Force to quicken his stride. Orochimaru was soon on his tail, his mechanical legs giving him an extra boost. Leaping high, Naruto planted both feet against a wall as he crouched for a split second, then pushed off. He threw one lightsaber at Orochimaru, it's blade sizzling just above the Snake Sith's head as he ducked under it. With Orochimaru distracted, he didn't notice the boy slam shoulder first into his helmet-covered head. The force of the blow knocked the helmet away, and sent both Force users sprawling to the battered floor.

Calling upon the Force, Naruto had his misplaced lightsaber sail through the air and back into his hand as he stood up once more. Suddenly he twisted around, deflecting a blaster bolt away from himself, the Force guiding his movement. He traced the trajectory of the blaster bolt and found the Trooper that had fired, and was still firing. Deflecting the bolts, Naruto was able to knock one directly back at the soldier. It hit the attacker in the leg, causing the Trooper to fall over.

A scream of rage alerted Naruto to the oncoming attack, and he crossed is blades in a defensive move as he turned around. No sooner had a he turned a full one hundred eighty degrees had his blades been smashed against. He was knocked backwards from the force of the block, and his lightsabers were sent flying from his hands. A metal boot stomped onto Naruto's chest, crushing the armor as well as the air from the Padawan's lungs. He looked directly at the point of the Sith's red blade, expecting death. Suddenly, _There is no death; there is only the Force_ didn't seem so comforting now. He wanted to live; he wanted to be with Hinata. He wanted this stupid war to _end_. He suddenly found it hard to realize that the war had only been going on for a little over two months.

"If your Father... Damn you, I should kill you _now_ and damn the consequences." Orochimaru's bright, purple eyes glared down at the Padawan. His long black hair flowed out behind him, and his gaunt features and pale skin made him look like a ghost. A frustrated scream emitted from the man, but he took the boot away from Naruto's chest, allowing him to breathe.

Taking the opportunity, Naruto shoved a condensed ball of Force power straight into Orochimaru's chest, flinging him a few meters away. Grabbing his two lightsaber hilts, Naruto took a brief look at the battle. The Shock Troopers were retreating back through the hole, Orochimaru now leaving as well when he noticed that he was losing. He clutched a helmet under one arm, and his lightsaber was palmed in the other. He rushed over to the Shock Trooper who Naruto had reflected the blasterfire at. Naruto's eyes widened as the look of Orochimaru's face turned from angry to concerned.

"Naruto!" The comlink in his ear crackled. "Don't just stand there. Go help outside... They've breached our walls!" Backing away from the scene slowly, Naruto turned after he saw Orochimaru help the person back through the hole. _What's up with that?_ He wondered. He'd never seen Orochimaru show affection to anyone, or _anything_. At least, not sincerely.

* * *

Orochimaru ordered his men to station themselves on their right and left flanks, and to keep continuous fire through the hole into the mess hall. He didn't want the Republic to take back any more space.

The snake Sith gently helped Anko against the wall opposite of the hole, next to the door that led into the droid closet. Their only escape route, if need be. He helped her get the helmet off. His gut gave a squeeze as he saw her pretty face contorted in a grimace of pain.

"Are you okay?" It was the only thing Orochimaru could think to say. He suddenly felt very awkward.

"Just a burn on my leg, sir." She gave him a strong smile, but he could see the pain hidden behind those amazing green eyes of hers. Her soft, shoulder length purple hair was plastered against her face with sweat.

"You have tactical command here, Captain... Should we retreat?"

"No. Everything is going smoothly, sir." She gave him a mischievous grin, and he couldn't help but smile back. She inclined her head towards the hole, where many Shock Troopers were busy firing through, keeping the Jedi forces at bay. He raised an eyebrow, then noticed a blinking in his peripheral vision.

Looking down, Orochimaru saw the gloved finger of Captain Mitarashi hovering over a button on her belt that was blinking a menacing red. _Deadly as she is beautiful, too._ He gave an approving nod and she pressed the button. Turning his head to watch the show, he was satisfied to hear the terrified screams coming from the room as it caved in with a deafening crash.

* * *

**I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. And a little bit about Sasuke: his first two appearances in this chapter were in the past, and the last one in the present. Thanks for reading!**


	12. Defeats on Both Sides

Naruto's head was a chorus of alarms; a stampede of aches. He coughed the dust from his lungs, long painful wretches. _Sir, get up. We have to move! Sir? Sir!_ Naruto's head swam with a plethora of voices, all yelling. A splitting headache cracked his skull open as he tried to move, causing him to promptly black out. _Evacuate the Younglings! Save the Initiates!_ The Uzumaki groaned at the attempt at trying to open his eyes. He failed to do so.

A sudden _crack_ filled the air, fallowed by an avalanche of crumbling sounds. A war cry went up that chilled Naruto's bones, and the air around the teen sizzled and hummed with the sound of blasterfire. He blacked out again.

_Fall back! Everyone to the bunk- aghhh..._ Naruto let out a low moan as he came back to the conscious world, still unable to muster the energy to open his eyes. After a few minutes of painstaking breaths, Naruto managed to open one eye. _Zzzzt. _A man with a blue lightsaber stood before the Uzumaki, batting away at speeding lasers faster than he could track, Naruto closed his eye and blacked out again.

_Naruto, get up! Naruto, we have to go! Naruto! Damn you!_ Hands gripped him under his armpit and dragged him out of what felt like his own grave, which had been filled with poisoned stakes, stabbing him as he was lifted out. Only their poison was left behind, leaving a burning sensation throughout his body. Then he was suddenly cold. _Oh!_ He groaned from the pain, but his ears picked up the sound of more lightsabers extending to their full length. He blacked out as an infuriated roar came from beside him, and the low hum of an arcing lightsaber swished through the air.

_He's still alive!_ The voice was soft and trembling, and he felt a hand press against his forehead, smoothing his hair to the side with something slick. "My blood..." he mumbled aloud, knowing what the slick something was. _He needs help, _now_, _the same voice insisted. Naruto blacked out as a rougher, older voice responded.

Suddenly, a resounding _crash_ echoed around the injured Padawan. Naruto grunted at the noise. _Jedi dogs prepare to meet your end!_ "Pein..." Naruto mumbled, shivering, remembering his encounter with the Sith on Ilum. The Force filled Naruto's body, lifting him out of his wrecked carcass. He stood above his shattered frame then; looking out onto the battle that was raging. His eyes were wide open now.

He saw Shock Troopers and Clone Troopers fighting fist to fist, blaster rifle to blaster rifle, vibroblade to vibroblade. To Naruto's dismay, he saw a shock Trooper roll on top of a Clone and lower his blade to the chestplate of the poor Clone. Naruto watched with cold calmness as the Clone struggled to keep the deadly weapon away from his heart, but the Shock Trooper was bigger and slowly shoved it through the armor, through the man's chest, straight into the heart. Death came quickly, but even from so far away Naruto still heard the man's last breath rattle out from his lungs, through his mouth, and into the open air. It almost sounded like a word. Like, _fuck_.

Naruto observed that as far as he could see, until he hit a badly scarred wall, the entire temple was rubble. Looking above him, it was a wonder the temple still towered at its full height. Great gouges formed in its arching structure. Naruto could see three floors above him until he finally found a beaten ceiling. Jedi were everywhere, but mostly defending the Younglings.

Now Naruto observed the mess hall, which seemed brighter than it should. It's once great expanse of dining furniture and tapestries were all gone, replaced by a caved in ceiling which left massive chunks of permacrete scattered across the large room. But wherever Naruto looked, he could not find a spot not damaged or strewn with rubble and debris. The fighting seemed to have come to a halt in the immediate area around the Uzumaki teen. Clone and Shock Trooper alike stopped what they were doing and gazed around, some with helmets, some without. Those without held fixed gazes, with gaping mouths. All the soldiers were staring in Naruto's direction. Directly before Naruto was a mound of crumbling plaster, steel, and permacrete higher than the rest of the battleground. On the mound stood three lone Jedi, not counting himself, all of which Naruto saw were staring straight at him.

The three were surrounded by the Sith, Pein at the head of the attack. Pein, too, was looking directly at Naruto's detached self. Directly below Naruto, he finally looked upon himself.

What he saw would have made him gasp, cry, or even yell. But the Force was running strong through him, and nothing seemed able to phase him. His body was a shattered, pitiful thing. Blood caked his hair, chest, and legs. It dripped down his fingers, forming small pools under his hands. He saw a small crater, which he assumed he had been pulled out of.

He then looked at the three Jedi. Master Jiraiya, Sakura, and Anakin. He almost smiled, but his face remained emotionless. As he took in all of these details, nothing moved. Then he realized it had only taken him a fraction of a second to completely absorb the information.

He had noted the light earlier on, but only now did he identify its source. It was the broken body below him. He stared down at it for another fraction of a second, but was disturbed by a voice.

"N... Naruto?" It was Sakura. He looked at her, taking in all the details of her in an instant. He could tell her ankle hurt her by the way she stood, putting most of her weight on her left foot. But it was still a balanced stance, which Naruto was pleased to see. Her Jedi robe had been seemingly lost. Her pink trimmed tunic outlined her shapely form well, and was sleeveless. Her similarly colored shorts were also form fitting, trailing down her thighs but stopping well before her knees. She usually wore a white miniskirt that clipped at the waist over her shorts, but it seemed to have been lost in the battle. She also wore black gloves, which were around the hands that gripped her dual-phased lightsaber at the ready. Her outfit satisfied him. It would not inhibit her fighting style, and allow for plenty of flexibility. He did not show any outward sign of being pleased, though.

Anakin was much the same, in respect for fighting flexibility in his clothing. His black garb was a bit more worn, and the only thing left of his Jedi armor were the shin guards and boots, which stood out white against the rest of his black attire.

Master Jiraiya flowing cloak of gold, crimson, and green was missing. But his Jedi armor was fully intact and seemed to have been hardly touch, though Naruto knew he had been one of the first in the battle. His long white hair stood spiky at his back, unmoving. His warty nose was the same as ever. But his eyes were genuinely surprised, but seemed to hold a look of knowing, as well.

All that had transpired since he left his body had happened in three seconds, and now he nodded; though he did not know why. His real body was beginning to be hard to look at, as it was becoming so bright.

Looking around the battle, Naruto felt more powerful than he had ever had in his life. He snapped his arms out at his sides, letting out a shockwave of raw Force power that spread out from him like a ripple in a pool of water might if a pebble was dropped into it. Everyone in Naruto's line of sight was sent to their knees or straight on their backs. Mostly Jedi were the ones who stayed on their knees.

The power kept flowing from him, unstopping, a roaring power that was unlike anything Naruto had ever imagined. It scared him, but the Force was so strong in him that he stayed completely calm, though he noticed his ethereal body was ripping apart from the powerful surge, tearing like soggy paper, crumbling and crumbling and crumbling as the light engrossed him, so bright... so bright... and then it all became unbearable.

That's when it stopped, and he coughed. He sat up, surprised at how good he felt. He felt like he had when he had finished bedding the Twi'lek back on the ship heading to Corellia. He felt as if something had been released out of him, as if something that had been overflowing had finally been set to rest.

He came to his feet, noticing how the battlefield was not bright anymore, but dismally dark. Striding over to his three friends, Naruto grinned at them. "Thanks for protecting me."

Sakura threw her arms around him, pressing her face hard into his the crook of his neck and shoulder. "I thought you were going to die..." Naruto had thought he was going to die as well. But now his body seemed fully healed, if not in better condition than when he had last been at his peak. But his clothes were still ragged and drenched in his blood.

Anakin and Jiraiya had not forgotten the battle at hand, though, so they brought their backs to Naruto's sides, each holding a lightsaber toward the enemy.

"Naruto, what just happened?" Anakin said, his voice was tired and weary.

"I have no idea," Naruto said truthfully. Everything that had just happened had seemed like a dream, and he felt as if he had been on the sidelines watching.

"I believe I have an idea..." Jiraiya turned his head and gave a long stare at the back of Anakin's head, who was on Naruto's right as Jiraiya was on the Uzumaki's left.

"That was very... flashy," came a melancholy voice. Of all the soldiers that had surrounded the mound, only Pein had been able to stand his ground against the awesome Force. "But I'm afraid it's time for you all to die." His lightsaber hilt, curved at the end and glowing a phosphorescent red, was activated in his hands. He held it before him in a strong, aggressive stance.

Naruto opened both his palms, summoning the lightsabers from his belt into his hands. He was glad they hadn't been lost when the roof caved in, and they were undamaged as well. "Pein is mine." It was only three words, but it caused an immediate response from all three of his fellow Jedi. All of them were insisting they surround the man and take him out together.

Naruto shook his head, thinking of Hinata. _He had almost killed her_, he thought. "He's mine." Naruto gently pushed Sakura out of his way and strode towards the Sith with the multiple rings surrounding his pupil, his long black cloak concealing most of his body. "Just keep everyone else away." Jiraiya grumbled, but agreed. The other two soon consented.

Naruto now stood before the powerful Force user, looking calmly into the steel gray eyes. He could see the pain hidden deep down.

"We meet again, Uzumaki." Pein tilted his head to the side, staring back into Naruto's own eyes. Naruto felt a small chill climb up his spine, but ignored it. "I know everything about you. You may not think it's possible, but I know." Pein's eyes filled Naruto's vision, until it was the only thing he could see. "Oh yes, I know you more than you can imagine. Having pleasant dreams, are you?" As the man talked, his face never changed its uncaring visage. "I'm sure Kyuubi can put an end to that."

Naruto attacked at that moment, both lightsaber coming in at different directions. Pein met his left attack with his own blade and nimbly dodged the other arcing attack. Not missing a beat, Naruto batted away the block with his free lightsaber. Stepping forward he crashed his lightsabers down in quick intervals, one after the other into Pein's defensive position.

Using a sideswipe with his right blade, Naruto knocked Pein's sword out of the way and plunged his left in for the kill. Pein manage to pull away at the last second, kicking out with his foot. Naruto stepped around the counterattack, bring one blade down at the retreating foot and sending the other out for a another stab.

In one arching swoop, Pein brought both of Naruto's lightsabers onto his own, defending himself flawlessly. The usually emotionless man smirked, "Not bad. But these eyes miss nothing. I know why you wanted to fight me alone..." He leaned into the lightsaber lock and whispered, "If I had really wanted to kill her, I wouldn't have been so easy on her. You should be thanking me." Though the smirk was there, each word was said in a monotone. And there was no mirth in the eyes, either.

Naruto grit his teeth, using all his strength to match Pein's force. His words had gotten to him, and they made him angry. Sliding his lightsabers down on his opponent's horizontal blade, he went under Pein's guard and drove both points forward. Unable to counterattack, Pein twisted around the two lightsaber tips just in time, then took a few cautious steps away.

With the moment's respite, Naruto took a brief look around. The Shock Troopers were trying to get up the mound, but Naruto's three comrades were holding them at bay. To the teen's immense relief, he could see a flicker of the 501st in their stealth suits making their way to flank the enemy. Then Pein was on him again.

The older man's attack caught Naruto's right blade's tip, throwing it from his grasp. Gripping his original lightsaber with both hands, he brought it up to block the over-handed attack. The force of the impact drove the teen to his knees. Pein continued to slam at Naruto's blade relentlessly, making Naruto grow weaker with every stroke. Just as Naruto thought he couldn't hold out much longer, the same Force flow from before surged through his core, giving him strength. A flash of blinding light pulsed from Naruto's body, making Pein cry out.

Naruto swept his assailant's blade away with a one handed stroke and struck out his palm, colliding it with Pein's chest. In that instant, a concentrated spear of Force power flowed from Naruto's hand into Pein's chest, throwing him off his feet.

Naruto's transition from his knees to a rolling stride was graceful as he made his way to where Pein lay in a heap at the foot of the wall he had crashed against. Naruto's mind was completely calm as he bent his knees slightly and picked up the fallen man's weapon. He attached it to his own belt, placing the tip of his own lightsaber to hover above Pein's throat. He knew what he was meant to do in life now. It was his destiny. "For your crimes against the Republic and the darkness in your heart, I sentence you to death. Any last words, Sith?"

Pein blinked a few times, and Naruto saw that he was blind. His iris was completely blue now, no trace of the steel lines that had surrounded his pupil. And the pupil itself had lost its color. "I only wish... I had died with the rest of my kind."

Naruto nodded, and raised his lightsaber up to finish the man.

* * *

Hinata rested in the straight-back, stone chair. It was massive, emerging up from the stone floor and was ornately carved. Swirls could be seen dotting the great structure of it, the symbol of her race. The back towered at least five feet over her head. Vines rapped around it, twisting and turning, growing along its sides and armrests. She sat in it with her legs thrown over one armrest, her body spanning the width of the large seat, and head propped up by her hand and elbow resting against the other arm.

Hinata glanced around at the expansive throne room, which splayed out before her in a long hall. Along the walls were molded and worn tapestries, along with banners bearing her clan's royal seal.

She glanced down at the carved steps, which stretched below her. Ten of them, she had counted on her way up. Behind her was nothing but a solid permacrete wall, stretching up to the lofty ceiling which ended in a magnificent dome, and a large square threshold, opening into the main hall of the castle. At the end of the hall, straight across the room from her, was a massive arched doorway, closed off by the polished oak doors.

"Hanabi... we're home at last." She looked over in the smaller chair to her right, to the smiling girl who she loved so much. _Kyuubi can fuck himself. I don't need him anymore._ "This is where we'll start... And soon the whole galaxy will be ours, ruled by the ancient Hyuuga race." The girl nodded and smiled, but she still hadn't said a word since Hinata had rescued her.

She had explored the castle before coming to a rest on her rightful throne. She was all that was left of the royal blood, but the planet was still populated, if scarcely. But she needed an army... but that would all have to wait. She would assemble a small group, enabling higher organization and efficiency. They could strike, and be too small to track and be attacked back. Before long, the universe would be hers.

"The CIS and the Republic can war all they like, it won't matter. We'll work them from the inside out." She sighed... it was a good idea. But she knew how pointless it would be. She didn't have any friends in the Senate. And she didn't have any way to overpower Kyuubi or Darth Sidious. She would have to bide her time... She looked over as Hanabi's head jerked up, staring across towards the large doors that were slowly creaking open. The small girl shivered.

A lone figure strode from the now open doors at the end of the hall. The newcomer's footsteps were muffled by the decorative rug stretching the length of the hall, from entrance to the throne itself. As the figure came closer, Hinata was able to see that it was a man, barely older than herself. He stopped at the threshold of the steps, then went to his knees; head bowing so low that his forehead touched the floor. He had long, jet-black hair, with two long straps framed his face, curling on the ground as he knelt. Long, tan robes draped his body. In a flash of remembrance, she recalled something about Hyuuga monks being described in the archives when she once looked up her heritage.

When the man's head came up to meet her gaze, she saw a strange marking upon his brow. An 'X' shape sat in the center of his forehead in green, while two lines came in towards it, hooking at the end just before touching the intersection of the 'X' shape. His eyes were clearly Hyuuga, pupil-less and gray-white, though different from Hinata's original lavender coloring.

"Lady Hinata, you've finally come home."

* * *

Sasuke pressed his back against the cold stone, inching himself to the corner of the wall. He poked his head out slightly and took in everything in a millisecond, pulling his head back. The castle was very large, but worn. Vegetation grew everywhere, unkempt. Vines crawled up walls. Cracks were not uncommon. He even saw a few four-legged creatures loping across the courtyard on his way towards the entrance of the great compound.

He had just seen someone enter what he thought was the throne room. The doors still stood open, and he debated with himself whether to go in, lightsabers at the ready, and finish the job. He had a brief flashback then of what he said to Naruto back on Naboo. He shrugged it off. It was too late for Naruto and Hinata, anyway. Once a Sith, always a Sith.

He made a silent dash for the wall next to the entrance, glancing around to make sure he wasn't seen. He debated again whether to face his enemy head on. With a sigh, he decided to find a way around. Taking out special gloves from a compartment on his belt, he tugged them onto his hands. Activating the gloves, he began to scale the wall.

* * *

"Who are you?" Hinata said, not rising. She looked down on the man, from so high up and stared straight into the clear eyes of a Hyuuga. And one from noble birth, judging by his manners and garb.

"I'm only a servant for your house, Lady Hyuuga. But my father was Hizashi Hyuuga, your uncle. He was the leader of the Cadet Branch of the Royal family, of which had the honor of protecting you and your kin. We have failed you, my dear Lady, and I wish to enter your service, like my father before me for your father, and protect you with my very life. I have trained with my father until he finally ended his life a year ago when my training was complete and I came of age. He never forgave himself for living while so many of the Royal blood died." He spoke in a monotone, and his face was impassive.

"That's awful. I'm sorry for your loss." As Hinata spoke, she continued to keep eye contact with the man.

"I knew from the very beginning of my training that it would happen. There was nothing left for him to do but end his shame, in the most honorable way he could."

Hinata considered what she was about to say for a second. She wanted to tell him, "There is nothing honorable in taking one's life." But she knew better. The ways of the Hyuuga were old and often unique in the wide galaxy of civilization. Instead, she said, "I see." And nodded.

He bowed his head back to the ground. "I humbly seek the honor of being at your side and protecting you with my life. May I have this honor?"

Hinata had no idea how skillful this man was in fighting, or whether he could even face a Jedi in combat and hold his own. But, she needed support, and he seemed like a good place to start. She nodded to herself, "Rise, and take your place by my side as my guardian. What is your name?"

He rose, and began his ascent to her dais. "Neji Hyuuga, Monk of the Hyuuga Temple, Guardian of the Royal Blood, destroyer of your enemies."

Hinata smiled to herself, liking the loyalty that he was showing her. She opened her mouth to say something, only to be interrupted by the thrum of a lightsaber extending to its full length, just behind her. "I'll put that title to the test." And she could hear the arch of the blade as it swung, leaving her no time to react.

* * *

Naruto cast his gaze all around the room, taking in the damage. Bodies lay everywhere, whether they be alive or otherwise. He made his way across the room, to where a group of Jedi had gathered themselves, engaged in a heated debate.

Naruto stepped a bit closer, to hear what was being said.

"How any can there be? Qui-Gon already said that it was the kid from Tatooine..."

"No, no, no. Did you _see_ what happened?"

"But the midi-chlorians..."

"Bah. What does science know about what we are capable of?"

Naruto took this opportunity to clear his throat, to make sure they knew he was there. He didn't want to appear to be eavesdropping. "Have you seen Master Jiraiya?"

A few of the Jedi looked around at each other, making eye contact with some, others nodding. One stepped forward. A Twi'lek male. "He's at our makeshift command center in one of the military tents outside. He's currently coordinating the new orbital defense net that has been developed and launch. A bit too late, if you ask me..." The man studied Naruto's face for a moment, then nodded to himself. "I'll lead the way."

They trekked over half a mile of rubble and bodies before they got to the entrance. The tent's entrance was covered with a flap that the green skinned man lifted for Naruto. The Uzumaki ducked under, muttering a thanks, and came into a very busy hive of Clones, Jedi, and a databank of computer terminals. He saw his Maser and quickly went to the man's side.

Noticing his apprentice, Jiraiya smiled, "Ah, Naruto. I was just thinking of you."

"How bad is it, Master?" Naruto asked, deciding to skip all the formalities. Jiraiya frowned gravely, then looked at the holographic image before him. It was a 3D layout of the military base that the Jedi Temple resided in, fully detailing the damage. From what Naruto could see, half of the city-sized base was destroyed.

"We emerged victorious, but who's to say they didn't get what they came after? If their goal was to destroy the Temple, well, they didn't quite do the job. If their goal was to destroy the planet, then I suppose we won, in that aspect. The CIS Starfleet is retreating, now that we've gout our orbital defenses up and running." The old man sighed, putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "It's time we go. The planet is safe, for now, and rebuilding isn't a job for us. We're going back to Coruscant, with Skywalker."

Naruto arched a brow, looking at his Master questioningly. The man only shook his head, saying, "Later. When we meet with the High Council."

Naruto groaned. Not _again_.

* * *

"_Hah!_" Neji's palm stretched out, lightening fast. Hinata jumped to her feet, lightsabers in hand, facing her enemy just as he smacked against the wall, then crumpled to the ground with a groan, weapon deactivated. Hinata's mouth twisted in anger. "Sasuke." The word came out in a clipped tone, the hatred palpable. Even when they were in the academy, he had always been a, for the lack of a better word, dick.

Then Hinata blinked; realizing that Neji had never actually touched Sasuke. She looked over at her Guardian with a bewildered look. He only held out a palm to Hinata saying, "Leave this to me, my Lady. You need not dirty your hands with this trash." She stared at him for a moment, then nodded her consent, attaching her lightsabers to her belt. It was only then that she noticed Hanabi clinging to her leg, hiding behind her.

She smiled down at the girl, who had worked up enough courage to look around at the heap that was Sasuke. Hinata put her hand on the girl's dark hair, saying softly, "It's okay. Don't be afraid. I won't let anyone hurt you, ever again." The girl nodded bravely, but hid behind Hinata's thigh anyway.

Neji took a step closer to Sasuke, hands in front of him, palms open, in a measured stance. Sasuke began to drag himself to his feet, flicking his lightsaber on as he did so.

"What is this?" Sasuke coughed, looking through the dark spikes of his hair that had fallen over his face. "You want to fight me without a weapon? Or do you only rely on tricks to beat your opponents?"

Neji was not baited, but only stood at the ready. He replied calmly, "You know what that was, Jedi. Did you think that one has to have a lightsaber to be in tune with the Force? If you did, I'm afraid you were sadly mistaken."

Sasuke only snarled, throwing himself at Neji, bringing his blade down in a diagonal slash. Hinata's Guardian skillfully ducked under it, twisting around to Sasuke's unprotected back. Three quick jabs with Neji's extended forefingers threw Sasuke off balance. Neji then spun to Sasuke's right side, throwing both palms outwards. They stopped well before they touched Sasuke, but he was thrown off his feet nonetheless. Sasuke's head smashed against the side of Hinata's thrown as he met the floor, causing him to groan once more.

Neji kicked the deactivated lightsaber away from Sasuke's hand, then grabbed the folds of the Uchiha's tunic by the neck, lifting him off his feet with one hand. Neji held him up, the toes of Sasuke's boots dangling half an inch from the floor, and stared him straight in the eyes. Hinata squinted, then blinked. What was in Sasuke's eyes?

Sasuke actually _grinned_. "You're mine, now. Set me down." Neji complied, his eyes locked with Sasuke's. Hinata could see a vein pulsing in her Guardian's forehead. Hinata gently unclasped Hanabi's hands from around her legs, just as Sasuke's lightsaber began to rattle in place. When the lightsaber took to the air, Hinata leaped, smashing her fist directly into Sasuke's left temple, pushing with the Force as she did so.

Once again Sasuke found himself smacking against the wall and landing into a heap in the floor. Hinata shook Neji, looking worriedly into his face. He shook his head and blinked a few times, stepping away from her. "He... What happened?" Neji glanced at Sasuke, then saw Hinata nursing the knuckles of her right hand. He dropped to his knees. "My Lady, I have failed you..."

Hinata sighed, relieved that he was okay. "It's fine, I saw what happened. It's a trick that the Uchihas have." She summoned Sasuke's lightsaber to her hand, and attached it to her belt. "It seems I have a prisoner."

* * *

Naruto found himself standing next to Anakin in the center of the High Council chambers, with every member seated in person in the circle of chairs. Naruto looked over at Jiraiya, who hadn't said a word during the trip. Naruto spent most of the time on the ship with Anakin, who talked about the 501st, whose Starcrusier they were aboard on the way back to Coruscant, and Padmé. Naruto kept quiet about Hinata, but Anakin didn't seem to mind.

Master Windu was leaning forward, elbows propped on his knees, and his hands were steepled together under his chin. He let out a long sigh. "We have many matters to discuss today, so we decided to group both your sessions together. We are here to discuss the events of the battle on Naboo."

Seated next to Mace was Yoda, who nodded his head sagely. "Done well, you both have. Given, promotions will be." His voice was throaty, but laced with ageless wisdom.

Master Windu nodded, sitting back in his curved, pod-like seat. "We'll get to those later. Master Jiraiya, if you'll speak of the events."

Jiraiya stood, addressing the entire Council as he spoke. He walked around the room as he discussed tactical advantages and disadvantages of the battlefield, until he came to the actual battle itself, at its peak. "They came from below us. We never saw it coming... _I_ never saw it coming." A few whispers arose at that, but were soon cut off when he spoke again. "Orochimaru led the first strike, which severely damaged the Temple as well as being the direct result in the injuring or killing of several Jedi and Younglings. They planted mines during the heat of the battle, then retreated before we could do anything. Luckily, many Younglings had been shepherded out and I believe losses were as minimal as we could have dared hope for such a catastrophe. Especially so for it not bringing the whole temple down."

Master Jiraiya took a moment to focus his thoughts, then looked around the room. Then at Naruto. "Our young Padawan here was severely injured when the roof ceiling caved in. I almost gave up hope on him living, because we had no way of getting him out of the battle and into a bacta tank. He had major damage to his chest, head, and legs. Other minor injuries spanned the rest of his body. Just when I thought the life was about to trickle out of him... Well, he did something I've never seen done before. It was like there was a hologram of him floating above his body, looking around. Everyone that was sensitive to the Force could see his floating self, but the Clones and Shock Troopers only saw his beaten body, which was giving off an intense light..."

He stared around once more, then looked at Yoda for the rest of his story. "He sent out powerful ripples of the Force, which I believe were not an attack, but a... A sort of by-product of what happened to his body. When the light was at its peak, it was unbearable and I had to close my eyes. But when I opened them again, Naruto was fully healed, and had a sense of power and energy about him." Nodding to himself, Jiraiya spoke again.

"I think Qui-Gon was wrong. I think Naruto is the real Chosen One, who will bring balance to the Force." At this, almost every member had something to say. Yoda silenced them all with the raising of his hand.

The Grand Master Jedi looked over at Obi-Wan, who had not said a word through the whole meeting. "Master Kenobi, anything to say, have you?"

The man sighed. He was wearing the same worn armor that he had when Naruto had last seen him in this very room. "Master Qui-Gon was quite certain... about who he thought was the Chosen One. But, after hearing Master Jiraiya, I'm not sure myself." Yoda only nodded in response.

"We'll just have to keep eyes on the both of you," Master Windu remarked. "Now, to our other business. Naruto, we hear you slew a Sith during the battle? One 'Pein', who also led an attack on the Temple, as well as the last attack on Ilum?"

"Yes, Master." Naruto answered dutifully, making his face as impassive as possible. To his right, Anakin shifted his weight, seemingly uncomfortably.

"Then, we of the High Council have all agreed to grant you the rank of Jedi Knight." Naruto's eyes widened, and he had to fight to suppress a grin. He allowed a small smile to adorn his face.

"Thank you, Master Windu."

Yoda climbed from his seat and stood without aid of his cane. He pointed at the floor before him. "Kneel, Jedi Naruto." Naruto strode forward and did as he was bid. Yoda's lightsaber flared up. "With the power of the High Council, and as Grand Master Jedi of the Order, I grant you the rank of Jedi Knight." With one expert twitch of his blade, Naruto's Padawan tail fell to the ground before him. Naruto ignored the smell of burning hair. "Rise, and may the Force be with you." Naruto did, and reflected on how Yoda spoke, clearly not in his own words.

Naruto took his place beside Anakin once more, who whispered congratulations to him.

"And for valor in the field and being constant vigilant of the needs of your men, we grant you the leadership of the Five-oh-First squadron, Skywalker." Mace spoke, crossing his legs. "And we have a very important mission for you. The both of you, actually."

* * *

**Well, there's another chapter. I wonder if any of you can see what's happening here... Hmm. Well, there's still some summer left, so enjoy it! Thanks for reading.**


	13. New Partner, New Captive

Orochimaru stared down, through the Starcruiser's viewport, at Naboo. He had been down there fighting only hours before. He smirked, thinking of Pein. He was glad to be rid of the silent bastard. And it only made him feel like he was superior to the man, because Pein had lost to _Naruto_.

He frowned a bit. Before going out to fight elsewhere, he had seen Naruto, if only barely, covered in chunks of permacrete and durasteel. _How did Pein lose to the brat who had been crushed to near death?_ He shook the thought from his head. Every one of his men that had witnessed it had died already. He had only gotten a brief snippet of the battle from a man who had serious injuries, then blacked out after telling of the events. He was dead now, too.

Orochimaru stood at the bow of his ship, which he had smugly named _'Fox Killer._' The viewport was transparent durasteel, a new material that the CIS was producing, and made a bulbous shell all around the bridge. It was stronger than regular transparisteel, and even slightly stronger than regular durasteel.

Behind him Anko was giving orders to her subordinates from the Captain's seat. She was the best Commanding Officer anyone could ask for.

The Snake Sith allowed himself a brief smile at the thought of what he and she had done after the battle, with their blood boiling from the adrenaline of the fight. He could almost feel her soft breasts cupped in his hands once more.

Shaking his head, he turned around and strode out of the room, giving Anko a brief wink. He had to report to Count Dooku.

As soon as he was in his own quarters, he tapped a button and a hologram sprang to life. Dooku stood there, gray beard and thinning hair, dressed in a dark robe. "This better be good news, _Acolyte_." Orochimaru's eyes darkened at the belittling statement. _I'll make you fear me soon enough, you old bastard_.

"Though we were unable to take the planet, we did significant damage to the Jedi Temple and the military base itself. I'm sending you the statistics and numbers, as well as a full report, from my datapad as we speak."

Dooku nodded, but his ever present frown deepened. "Not a total loss, then. I felt Pein... vanish. I assume he's dead."

"Yes, he died at the hands of a certain Uzumaki spawn..." Orochimaru searched Dooku's face for any sort of clue as to what the man was thinking, but he got nothing.

"Well, these things do tend to happen. I'll replace him as soon as possible. In fact, I've just finished training an Acolyte that I think you'd be able to get along with." Dooku allowed himself a mischievous grin, and Orochimaru didn't like it. "His name is Kabuto." _Well, at least he's not named after some random emotion_.

Dooku continued, "It means _regret_ in his native tongue."

Orochimaru groaned.

* * *

"You want us to take back Corellia? But it's consumed by complete darkness. It's said that the darkness consumes all life, draining the power from the very planet. Not even its sun can penetrate it." Naruto looked around at the Council members, suddenly wary. He had an idea why they wanted to try and rescue it now, when they hadn't tried before.

"Well, with your unique... _ability_, it should be no problem for you to take back the planet." Mace spoke, glancing at Naruto. Was that... _mistrust_ in his eyes?

Naruto frowned, realizing what was happening. They_ are testing me, _he thought. He didn't like that. Not one bit. "Yes, Master."

"You will lead the finest of the Five-oh-First in a stealth ship. You're to try and restore light back to Corellia, while the Elite Clones and Anakin are to deliver a plasma bomb into the CIS moon base. If we can root them out of the Core Worlds, we'll be that much closer to ending this war." Anakin nodded obediently, though Naruto noticed he only had eyes for Obi-Wan.

"Dismissed."

As soon as Naruto stepped across the threshold of the exit, Naruto looked at Anakin and raised an eyebrow. "What's with this Chosen One stuff? And why did they think you and I were qualified to be 'Chosen?'"

Anakin shrugged, but seemed a little disturbed by something, so Naruto had to ask. "What's up?"

"He never told me... Master Qui-Gon never said anything to me about this. And neither did Obi-Wan." He had a hurt expression on his face, and Naruto's eyes wandered to the scar that he had made.

"Maybe they just weren't sure. They didn't want to trouble you with anything that might not be true."

Anakin shook his head, and they came to a repulsorlift. Skywalker pressed the button, summoning the machine. He looked over his shoulder, then said, "They don't trust me. None of the High Council does."

Naruto snorted. "That's something we have in common. They seem to think I'm evil by inheritance."

Anakin gave him a grin, "Are you?"

"Oh, yeah. You should see the skeletons in my closet sometime. It's quite a collection." Naruto smiled at his friend playfully, then entered the repulsorlift as its doors opened. On the way down, Anakin told Naruto of his plans to see Padmé before they left. She was put up in a lofty hotel in the upper levels of the Coruscant not too far away.

"You can come with me, if you like. I'm sure she would love to meet you. She hates lying to everyone... It would be nice to actually be together, while having someone we can trust around." Anakin gave a meaningful look, and Naruto gave him a reassuring grin.

"Like I said before, your secret is safe with me. We both know of these troubling feelings..." Naruto almost wanted to tell him all about the dreams that he shared with Hinata. Almost. "Perhaps one day we'll all find a way to live happily ever after."

Anakin snorted at that, "I'd like to see that."

Naruto soon found himself speeding through the air in Anakin's two-seater cruiser. It was colored dark blue, and had a windshield that rose up just enough to keep the wind out of his eyes. The seats were comfortable, and the cruiser was quiet. Anakin seemed to be an expert pilot.

"Nice driving skills. Not many people can cut off a thousand people in the expressway and live to tell the tale." Naruto grinned, still a little shaky from the dive they took into traffic.

"I used to race pods back on Tatooine when I was a kid. I even built my own podracer. I won the championship, and with it, my freedom. Qui-Gon... he staked a lot in me. He, at least, showed faith in me. But ever since he died..."

Naruto noticed his face go blank, but he gripped the steering controls harder. "What's wrong?"

Anakin glanced over, briefly looking into Naruto's eyes. "The council never wanted to train me. To be a Jedi, I mean. They said I was too old to start. But Qui-Gon convinced them, and said he'd train me himself... He believed in me, when no one else did. And when he was gone, no one wanted me. Not even Obi-Wan... He just took me on because Master Qui-Gon wanted him to." Anakin sighed; "I've done everything I can to prove I was not a lost cause. I have trained hard, and I've become a powerful Jedi. But they still regret ever having me trained."

Naruto nodded, knowing what it was like to be mistrusted. He had thought he was just another Jedi, nothing to be worried over. But the High Council, with that first meeting with him, had proved they were uncertain of his loyalties. Mace especially so. "Best not to worry about it, right?"

Anakin nodded slowly, "Right."

* * *

"Wake up, Sasuke." A voice came, soft and dangerous. "Wake up, you Uchiha bastard!" A sharp pain erupted in Sasuke's side and he opened his eyes.

Hinata stood before him, with her lap dog standing just behind her. Sasuke glared at the both of them, then launched himself at them. With a clank, he stopped, mere inches from Hinata's smug face. He was pitched forward, arms stretched behind him. He could vaguely feel pain in his wrists where he was manacled, chains linking up to the wall behind him. His ankles were clasped in cold metal, too.

He then noticed how dark it was, and the faint wetness that tinted the air. He gnashed his teeth, settling back onto his butt, back placed against the wall. The cool stone felt good on his naked skin, and he just realized he had been stripped of everything but insulated boxers. The only light source came from two overhanging lamps, which flickered with file on each side of the room.

"Good morning, sunshine!" Hinata said cheerily. "And welcome to paradise. If you look to your left, you'll find a bucket that you can shit in. And to your right is a hole so deep I don't even know where it goes... Feel free to piss in it." Sasuke grudgingly looked at the hole, which was three foot square. With the slick stone beneath him, he could easily slip into it. That wouldn't be so bad, and he'd probably try it as a way to get out, if he didn't have the manacles on...

"And in front of you is you new master. Now, be a good puppy and tell me what you know about... This!" She was holding his datapad up in front of him, which displayed the order of the council to find and kill her.

"Never seen that before in my life."

Hinata rolled her eyes, turning the datapad off and placing it into her pocket. "And what do we have here?" She dangled the ignition drive to his ship, complete with a button that would summon the ship. Sasuke groaned. "Don't bother telling me it belongs to some rust-bucket you left out in the middle of nowhere." She grinned; "I've already seen it. Very nice ride... I can't wait to drive it. And with all the Jedi frequencies and archives installed on its internal holocron, why, I can't wait to delve into all of the information they have on me." She placed her hands on her hips, grinning down at him. "Don't worry, I'll give you credit for its acquisition."

Sasuke hung his head, staring down at the cold floor. He had been beaten, but he barely remembered how. It had happened so _fast_. "How?" He croaked. "How did you do it?" He directed his question at Neji, Hinata's Guardian. The Sith took a step away, letting Sasuke have full view of the person who had beaten him so easily.

"You Jedi think you are the only ones trained in the knowledge of the force. You think it belongs to you, and that it's yours to protect and keep for yourselves. That's why you don't share your knowledge with the rest of the universe. But, in every civilization, there is a group that inevitably knows about this power. And they train themselves to use it. Though you Jedi do have credit for your swordsmanship skills and the creation of your lightsabers, you cannot take credit for what belongs to all life."

Neji looked down at Sasuke, no emotions on his face. "But the Cadet Branch of the Hyuugas have known about the Force for thousands of years, and have perfected the art of using it. You do not need a lightsaber to fight with it, and you do not need the permission of some Jedi Council to use it. And with my superior fighting ability, it was child's play to disarm and defeat you."

Sasuke nodded, hanging his head once more.

"You should be grateful, Sasuke. You could be dead and rotting in that hole next to you. If it weren't for Sakura, you _would_ be dead."

Sasuke's head snapped up at the mention of Sakura's name.

"Ahh, so you _do_ actually know that she exists. How surprising, considering you've ignored her all her life." Hinata crossed her arms and looked down at him with a disapproving expression.

Sasuke shook his head vigorously, spilling his guts about the way he felt. He didn't know why, but he told Hinata everything that had happened since Naruto and everyone else on Tsunade's ship rescued him. He told her how he had come to actually love Sakura, and despise the path that he had been taking. He got to the part where he told Sakura what he was ordered to do, then his voice drifted off...

A few moments of silence passed by. "I know about you and Naruto." He said it quietly, hoping she'd show him a bit of sympathy for his predicament with Sakura. He looked up at Hinata, expecting a soft expression of empathy. He couldn't have been more wrong.

What he saw froze his innards. Hinata had a look of furious scorn in her eyes, but a dangerous smile played across her lips. When she spoke, it was only a whisper, making him strain his ears just to hear the soft words.

"You Jedi and your hypocrite ways. You're all cowards hiding behind lies. You sicken me." She spat at Sasuke, then strode away. He heard the metal door rattle to a close, then was locked.

"Nighty night." A laugh broke away from Hinata as she walked away. Sasuke looked up questioningly, and saw Neji holding a torch in his hand. With one motion of his free hand, a gust swept through the already cold room and extinguished the two lamps.

Sasuke's eyes went wide as he saw Neji retreat with the only source of light left.

_I won't scream, I won't scream, I won't scream_...

The last of the light flickered down the corridor, and Sasuke was plunged into complete darkness.

He screamed.

* * *

"Oh, _Ani_!" A shout came, and then Naruto watched from his passenger-side seat as Anakin was nearly tackled as soon as he planted his feet onto the floor. "I've been so worried about you. I didn't receive any word of the battle, I..." Her words were cut off by Anakin's kiss, and Naruto averted his gaze, feeling himself flush slightly.

When the two finally broke apart, Naruto looked over to see the couple looking at him. Naruto saw Padmé's hair was braided into a tight bun behind her head, and she wore a white skin-tight, cropped shirt with matching pants. A white belt with an enameled surface looped around her waist. She was very pretty. Naruto smiled easily at her as he climbed out of the vehicle and onto the landing dock that stretched out from her apartment.

"Hello." Naruto said simply.

"Padmé, this is Naruto. You've met him, sort of, before. Well, seen him anyway." Anakin said, but he didn't bother to glance at Naruto. He only had eyes for Padmé at the moment.

"Nice to meet you in person, then." She held out a hand and Naruto shook it.

"Anakin never says anything that doesn't relate to you in some way or form," Naruto said with a grin.

"Oh, does he?" She smiled warmly at the man who held her so close. Naruto felt awkward, as if he was a third wheel. "Well, let's go in. It wouldn't do to have the whole world know about us when we're trying to keep it a secret..."

They made their way into the living quarters, which was furnished comfortably in blue and white. Frilly white lace adorned the large, arched windows in the room. The lighting was low and soft, casting light shadows across most of the room. Naruto took a comfortable chair that he was offered, as well as accepting a drink. He sipped at the fine wind from Naboo, letting its richness settle in his stomach.

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur as Naruto and the rest of the group drank wine and talked cheerily, avoiding all matters of the war at hand. Naruto was feeling unnaturally happy, grinning nonstop, by the time his datapad started to blink. He excused himself from the happy couple before him, who had been getting invariably closer and closer throughout the evening, and went out to the landing pad. He closed the door behind him and took a deep breath, trying to steady his thoughts.

He tapped his datapad with a single finger, and a flickery, transparent image popped up from the holocron crystal.

"Hello," Hinata said brightly.

Naruto's eyebrows shot up, unchecked. "H... Hinata?" He sputtered, perplexed.

"Nice to see you, too," she pouted. Naruto rolled his eyes, but grinned regardless.

"This could be traced, you know. And all you're doing is making it that much worse for me..." He stopped as he studied the facial expression of the Hyuuga. "What's going on?"

"The Council seems to have taken me to be a high-risk enemy, and is starting to send out assassins. Assassins with _very_ nice ships, I might add." Hinata smiled sweetly.

Naruto shook his head slowly, confused. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"Sasuke popped up out of nowhere and tried to kill me! But he's been... taken care of."

"You _killed_ Sasuke?" Naruto's eyes widened. He never thought Hinata had it in her to kill someone she knew. He still had doubts she could kill at all.

"No, no, no. Though he deserves it... What kind of Jedi attacks one from behind _and_ while that person is unarmed?" She shook her head in disgust. "Still think the Order is squeaky clean, and that the High Council shits gold?"

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose, and then glanced around to make sure no one was listening. "Hinata, there's nothing I can do. I'm not a Council member, and I'm not there to protect you. And I'm _not_ joining the CIS. I still don't see why you-"

"Oh, you're so thickheaded!" Hinata groaned. "Let's not bring this topic up _again_, okay? I'm just contacting you to give Sakura a message."

"Why didn't you just contact her, the way you contacted me?" Naruto was growing weary of the whole conversation.

"Because if I am traced, the Council will mistrust her and watch her every move-"

"Which is what you could be doing to me," Naruto reminded her.

She gave him a devilish grin. "Maybe if they come down on you, you'll realize the mistake you're making and come join me." Naruto sighed. "I'm transferring the message to you now. Give it to her for me, kay?" She blew a kiss and her image flickered into nonexistence. Naruto ran his hand through his hair, attaching his datapad back to his belt. _Is she _trying_ to make my life hard?_

He went back into Padmé's flat for more wine.

* * *

Naruto had sent the message to Sakura, unheard, through a third-party datapad he picked up. He didn't think he wanted to know what was in it. A few days passed before the High Council decided it was time for the mission to be executed.

Naruto now found himself at the head of a battalion of the 501st. Next to him, Anakin stood looking out over the helmeted heads.

"Men," Anakin began, "We have a special mission for all of you. We will be heading into Corellia to take back what's ours, and to rid the Core Worlds of the CIS infestation!"

"Hoo-rah!" The fifty Clones shouted simultaneously.

"You've all been selected by me personally for this mission, but will not make you go. I will tell you quite frankly right now... that not all of you will survive this insurrection. This may well be the most dangerous operation you have undergone during this war. No one will think less of you if you think your talents are best served elsewhere."

A Clone Commander stepped forward, pulling off his helmet. His head was completely bald, and his mouth was set in a confident smile. "Sir, I speak for all of us when I say... We consider this fun." A few chuckles emanated from the soldiers behind the man, who Naruto knew as Rex. "Give a Five-oh-First soldier a gun and an enemy, and you have one happy clone."

Anakin nodded, a small smile of his own touching his lips. "I'm glad for it, Commander. I would rather take you lot into battle with me than any small group of Jedi any day." This seemed to make every soldier straighten his posture, if it was even possible to stand any straighter, in pride. Rex himself was grinning with approval of Anakin's words as he placed his helmet back over his head.

"Thank you, sir."

"Hoo-rah!" The Clones chanted as they marched up the ramp into the ship as Anakin and Naruto stood side by side, looking on. A small pang of pain hit Naruto's heart as he finally came to his senses. _They aren't mindless war machines, after all. Underneath all that armor, there is still a sentient being..._ Naruto felt a similar pang of guilt, as he thought of the High Council sitting safe while so many clones march to their deaths.

* * *

Hinata's eyebrows arched as Neji and Hanabi engaged in a rapid conversation in a language that, Hinata was ashamed to admit, she didn't know. What made it worse was that the language was _her own_. So she sighed and let Neji translate everything between Hinata and the young girl she rescued.

"She's grateful for what you did for her back on Tatooine," Neji explained after hearing a long monologue from the youngest Hyuuga present. Hinata thought that the girl was glad she could finally talk to and understand someone. "And she likes the name you've given her. She doesn't remember much of her parents or old life, before the Slavers ransacked her village." This made Hinata's blood boil. _So is my planet so unimportant to the Republic now, that they just let it go into chaos?_ It was just one more thing to let the Kyuubi regret before finally ending him.

Hinata didn't really know what to say to Hanabi, now that she could. What was she to say? _Hey, little girl I just met, I love you like a daughter and hope you can come to see me as some sort of older sister?_ It just didn't seem right.

Deciding she just couldn't say the right thing, she addressed Neji. "Do you remember what our planet was like... before?"

"Ah, Hinata-sama..." Hinata blinked at this new title she was giving. She had heard a few "sans" and "chans" go forth between the two Hyuugas they spoke, but having this suffix fixed to her name was new to her. Neji, seeing the look she had on her face, quickly explained. "In the Hyuuga language, titles are usually given to people's names when spoken. Since your status is higher than my own, it is respectful to call you 'sama.' Think of it as I was saying it before, as Lady Hinata. And as you may have already heard, I have called Hanabi, Hanabi-san, because we have just met and do not know each other formally. She lovingly refers to you as 'chan,' though Hinata-sama. If you like, I can tell you to appropriate you with your proper title..."

"No," Hinata said quickly, feeling a joy deep in her heart. "That's okay. She can call me chan if she likes." Hinata smiled warmly at the small girl, who smiled back.

"As I was saying, Hinata-sama, I do not remember much. But my Father has told me everything he knew. He told me of how our planet was a prosperous empire... It was a magnificent civilization, and a loving society. Though there was crime, it was only from a small portion of outsiders. Our people were respectful of each other... We were all very happy, he says, before Kyuubi ruined it all." He stopped there, bowing his head for a moment.

"My father told me of how he slaughtered the Royal Guard one by one, as easily as if they were flies. Our style, the Jyuuken, was no match for his raw power and anger. He cut down women and children alike, killing all that came into his murderous gaze. Hinata-sama, I know of your affiliation with this beast... I cannot understand why."

Hinata looked out over Neji's head, out into the open air, where she saw small birds flying across above the trees even farther out. The small group was sitting in the Castle's garden, which was blooming with pretty flowers of every color. The ground was soft and warm, and the deep red glow of the sun cast a beautiful pink color all around as it began to set.

She took a deep breath, breathing in the smell of the vegetation. It almost smelled like Drongar. "Neji, I've been lied to all my life. First, by the Jedi. Then, I'm sure, by Kyuubi. I've been lied to by everyone who has ever laid eyes on me, all but one... Please, Neji, don't ever lie to me." She fixed her gaze on him now, and he bowed his head respectively.

"Never, Hinata-sama."

* * *

"Hello, Orochimaru." Came a cheerful voice from a man who marched up to him, holding out his hand. Orochimaru glared at the out-stretched appendage, then looked the man in the eye. He had pure silver hair, which were set in two curtains in his bangs, parting at the middle. He had a headband stretched across his brow, which was tied in the back. A strange symbol was etched into a metal plate on the strip of cloth.

"You're Kabuto?" Orochimaru looked suspiciously at the man. He didn't know what to expect, but he hadn't expected a cheerful young human to come bouncing into his sight, ready to make friends. "And what is the meaning of your name?"

The young lad looked a bit confused then shrugged, "Regret, why?"

"You don't look very regretful... Just out of curiosity, who gave you the name? Your parents?"

"Of course not. Lord Sidious gave me my name," Kabuto stated proudly, giving Orochimaru a half-grin. "All his disciples are given new names."

"Then why did he give a man like yourself such a clearly mismatched name?"

"Well," Kabuto laughed,"I think he did it as a sort of joke."

_This guy must be crazy_, Orochimaru thought. "Lord Sidious never jokes."

"Well... He does for this sort of thing. You see..." Kabuto's features suddenly seemed... sharper. His eyes turned into a steely gray, and his next words were spoken with immense power and bloodlust. "I obliterated a whole race of people, without a second thought. All except one person, who Lord Sidious forbade me to kill..."

Orochimaru took a step back, surprised by this new information and how it was delivered. _It can't be_, Orochimaru thought, _Not even Darth Sidious could be so cruel_. "Did... Did Lord Sidious order this genocide?"

Kabuto cocked his head to the side, his power radiating from him in dark waves, clearly revealing his pleasure in killing. "Of course."

"And the one person you didn't kill... He was..."

"Yes. He was Pein."

* * *

**Hello! I hoped you enjoyed the latest chapter, and I am sorry for the long time it takes to get these out. Please leave a review if you liked it, so I can like that you liked it. :)**

**I'll try to get the next one out sooner.**


	14. Revelations

A few days after the launch of the mission, Naruto found himself staring down at the darkened planet, feeling its life force drain away more and more each moment. He could hardly believe that Hinata had been the cause of it. A hand squeezed the young Jedi gently on his shoulder, and Naruto looked to his right to see Anakin. Skywalker nodded to his younger friend, his eyes conveying an understanding of what Naruto was feeling.

Naruto gazed back out through the large viewport, down at the dying planet. How was he supposed to fix _that_?

* * *

"What's going on with my Padawan?" Kurenai questioned, finally coming face to face with Jiraiya. She hadn't been updated about either of her former apprentices, and she felt as if their lives, which had been intertwined with her own for three years, were no longer any of her concern. It was a terrible feeling. And to add on top of that, her ability to function as a Jedi had been questioned. She was currently on "recuperative leave" according to the Council.

"He's fine, Kurenai," Master Jiraiya said distractedly, looking down at his datapad as he paced around his Chambers. The room was large, circular, and mostly colored in shades of green and gold. Half of the room was domed transparisteel, overlooking the rest of the Jedi Temple's spires as well as much of Coruscant.

"I want to know what has happened to him! You're hiding something... All of the Council is hiding something!" Kurenai could feel her emotions breaking through her usual Jedi cool, and she had to take a deep breath to calm herself. Even to herself, she was beginning to sound dysfunctional. "And what about Hinata? I've searched for all of the information about her in the Archives... there's nothing! And..." She blinked, looking around the lofty office. "Where's Naruto?"

For once, Jiraiya took on the visage of an aged man. His posture sagged, just a fraction, and his face took on the look of an ancient. He sat tiredly behind his large desk, placing his datapad atop the carved surface of the wooden top. Kurenai noticed the image of a smiling blonde woman, with vibrant blue eyes. "Naruto... is on a mission. He's no longer a Padawan, Kurenai. The Council has made him a full-fledged Jedi Knight." Jiraiya shook his head, his eyes glancing down at his datapad. With a press of his finger, the screen went blank.

"Wha... What? Naruto can't be a Knight! He's only seventeen, and he's still got much to learn-"

"Naruto, under my guidance, has learned quite a lot. But, I do agree with you, he _does_ have much to learn." Now Jiraiya finally raised his eyes to meet Kurenai's own. "I know what you are feeling, Kurenai. Please, have a seat," Jiraiya said, gesturing at the comfortable looking armchair in front of his desk. Kurenai did as she was bid, letting the weight of the world be supported by the piece of furniture, if only for a moment.

"Jiraiya... Was I really so bad of a Master that both of my Padawans would abandon me? Did Naruto mention me at all?" Kurenai saw the look of guilt on Jiraiya's face, and it broke her heart. She hung her head, not knowing what to do anymore.

"I'm sure there is much that you want to know. I will answer your questions, if you wish."

Kurenai brought her head up and looked her old Master straight in the eyes, all of her will power working to force the question that had been tickling her brain to sprout from her mouth. "I-"

"Once you say it, Kurenai, you can never take it back. I will tell you the truth, and what happens after that, well..." Jiraiya shrugged.

Kurenai paused, thinking, then nodded to herself. "I want to know the real history of the Jedi Order."

* * *

"Shikamaru, move over! I want to see!" Ino complained, flicking her long blond tresses over her shoulder, though it was a seemingly pointless act. The fringe of her hair was always layered over her right eye. Shikimaru rolled his eyes at her, motioning with his hand for her to look all she wanted.

In Shikamaru's opinion, the blonde Jedi was so troublesome. She had a vanity complex, which was ridiculous for a Jedi. Her long cyan, hooded cloak hung from her shoulders lazily. She wore skin tight, blue hide armor that came from exotic beast on some troublesome planet. Even her combat boots and belt had traces of sapphire colors. "Ooh! Who's that walking toward the Castle?" Ino chided, piquing Shikamaru's interest.

"Huh? Something's happening?" Choji said, finally taking his eyes off of the bag of chips he had been happily munching on. Shikamaru looked over at his best friend, mentally slapping himself for ever agreeing with Ino to come on this forsaken crusade. Choji was a large guy with brown hair, which flowed behind him in large spikes. His attire consisted of the traditional red and gray swordsman armor of his culture. It had been passed down to him from his father.

"What a drag..." Shikamaru groaned, gazing out from around the large tree, which was big enough to conceal the three friends. "A Jedi in this place? I wonder what's going on..." Shikamaru himself was dressed in a simple green flack jacket over a long sleeved shirt, with black pants. He liked to conceal his lightsaber on a clip on the underside of his open jacket. Ino had no qualms with revealing her own lightsaber, which was clipped on her utility belt that she was given upon her induction as a Padawan. Choji was the only one among them that preferred blaster weapons, despite his heritage and prowess as a swordsman. And with his large size, it was easy for him to hide multiple guns and ammunition... And, Shikamaru knew for a fact, he had a Wakizashi lightsaber hidden somewhere among his garb. He smiled as he remembered catching Choji playing around with it in his room one day.

"Oi, lemme see!" Ino yelped, practically climbing onto Shikamaru's back to get a peek.

"Okay, sheesh," Shikamaru replied, pulling back behind the tree to let her look again. He didn't know why they were bothering with hiding; they were making enough noise to negate their original intentions to remain unnoticed.

"Oh my... that's Sakura Haruno! I knew her from the Temple back on Ilum..." Ino said, her voice drifting off as she remembered her childhood. Shikamaru glanced at the Yamanaka, wondering if she'd go into more detail, but she didn't.

"Well, is she a problem? Would she be holding the objective captive?" Shikamaru asked, squatting into his thinking position.

"Don't call him an objective! He's my one and only love; the object of my life!" Ino yelled dramatically.

"I can't call him 'the objective' but you can call him an 'object'?" Shikamaru sighed, pressing his face into his spread out fingers.

"I'm out of chips," Choji whined, dropping the bag to the ground.

"I bet that billboard brow is holding poor Sasuke captive, so she can keep him all to herself!"

Shikamaru cringed at the mention of the objective's name. He couldn't believe how much Ino liked this guy, despite his complete lack of interest in return. Also, from the years that Shikamaru has known Ino, he had never once seen the two together even in the same room. _Hell_, Shikamaru thought_, I bet they haven't even been on the same planet since Ilum until now._ Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at the girl's back, noticing the way she fidgeted with anticipation. He knew how bad she wanted to see him. In fact, it would probably get her booted out of the Order if she continued this obsession.

Shikamaru smiled at that thought. He wasn't involved with the Jedi in anyway, besides being friends with Ino. It was the same for Choji. Lately, Shikamaru had been fantasizing about Ino leaving the Order to go travel the Galaxy with Choji and himself. Surely that was more interesting than being the dog of the Republic? But Ino was so thickheaded... She never saw anything clearly. At least, not the important things...

"Yeah, well, we won't know until we get into this Castle." Shikamaru stood and stretched, marching out from behind the tree and striding towards the main gate of the courtyard. "You can come if you like."

* * *

Hinata lay lazily across her throne, which she had modified to be more comfortable. She had spent the past few days with Hanabi and Neji in this room, just talking. She found it enormously relaxing and completely surreal. The dark red sun would cast a lazy glow over the stained glass, elongated dome of the Throne Room's roof. It was always pleasantly warm in the large hall, and the dais was the most welcoming place to be. Neji would sit in a large armchair that they had moved from one of the many rooms of the Castle, and Hanabi would sit on the smaller throne.

They would talk for hours on end; laughing and smiling as they told each other stories. Neji would translate for Hanabi and Hinata, and he smiled some himself, as well. Neji would teach Hinata more and more of her language each day, and Hinata was able to pick up the basics fairly quickly. She had always been a fast learner, with an adaptive personality. Hanabi was beginning to learn some Basic, too.

And then at night, they would sit under the stars and three moons, relaxing and enjoying each other's company. Hinata thought it was beautiful for their system to be named in honor of the beauty of the moons of this planet, which were extraordinarily colorful. The largest, Tsuki, was the same color that her eyes had been before she had gained her new power. And, since coming to her home planet. She had seen more and more of that lavender hue soften the darkness of her eyes.

It was so different from what most of her life had been. She had never felt this kind of warmth or bond in either the Order or CIS. So when her old life came walking through the large wooden doors at the end of the long hall, she felt a little saddened.

"Sakura... you came. I was beginning to think Naruto hadn't sent you the message."

"Naruto sent it to me?" Sakura said, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

"From a different datapad, no doubt, but yes." Hinata smiled at her old friend, wondering how she would take the news.

"Well... I'm here. What do you want?" Sakura said, a little apprehensively.

_She's scared_, Hinata thought with amazement. "Is that how you greet on old friend?" Hinata rose from her seat, and saw that Neji did as well. He was at her side an instant later, ever the watchful guard.

"No, that's how I greet strangers... I don't even know who you are, these days, Hinata!" Sakura said, her emotion filling her voice. There were tears in her eyes, and Hinata suddenly realized that Sakura knew.

Anger pierced Hinata's very core, and the light in the room dimmed ever so slightly. "Why didn't you tell me?" It was not the question that she had brought Sakura here for... but it was definitely one she wanted to know.

"Wha... I don't know what you're talking about!" Sakura managed, her Jedi calm now taking away her emotional visage and putting up a melancholy mask.

"You _knew_ yet you did not contact me? He could have _killed_ me, Sakura! He almost did!" Hinata seethed. She noticed a shifting of Sakura's weight, and she looked at the large entrance, still open. With a concentrated burst of Force power, the doors slammed shut, making Sakura flinch.

"I wanted to, Hinata. I really did! But Sasuke... If you had known, I thought you might seek him and destroy him... to get him out of the way, before he could do any damage! I don't think I could bare the split in my mind if my best friend were to kill the only one I love..."

"Oh, so _now_ I'm your best friend, am I?" Replied Hinata sardonically.

"Hinata, _please_, I never thought he'd find you... I," she took a deep breath and raised her eyes to look Hinata fully in the face. "I convinced myself that he would never find you. It was the only way I could handle it."

"I understand," Hinata sighed, slumping back into her throne. Neji remained standing, erect and alert. "I know how our feelings can make us do crazy things." She narrowed her eyes at Sakura then. "That is why I left the Order. If there is anybody who I may be able to convince of the Council's corruption, it is you."

Sakura chewed on her lower lip, averting her eyes once more. She was beginning to see where this was heading. "This is about Sasuke, isn't it? You have him here..."

"And if you choose to join me, you and he may happily be together."

"It's not that simple!"

Angrily, Hinata jumped to her feet and stormed down the steps from the dais and snarled," And why not? I am sick and tired of hearing that making such a simple choice is 'not that simple'! Give me one good reason why you should choose a life of slavery to a corrupt Council, with _limits_ on what you can do or what you can have in your _own_ life! I'm offering you freedom to be happy. All you have to do is join me, your _best friend_. I will ask nothing more than your loyalty, while the High Council asks for nothing _less than your life!"_

Sakura hung her head and dropped to her knees, something breaking within her. "I'll do whatever you wish, Hinata."

* * *

Kyuubi glared down at the Commander Droid, with its yellow stripes. With one single swipe of his arm, he threw the droid high into the air with his Force power. It crashed in a sparking heap on the far side of the small Hangar, where cleaning droids rushed out to take care of the mess.

"What the hell do you mean, Hinata has dropped off the grid?" Kyuubi seethed through his rather sharp teeth. His fiery eyes bore down on the next droid, which only repeated the same message the first gave him.

"Hinata Hyuuga was last traced leaving Tatooine roughly one and a half Standard weeks ago, sir."

With a roar of fury, Kyuubi spun away from the amassed droids and stormed up the ramp into his personal ship. Getting to the front of the small craft, he pinged Hinata's personal datapad. Nothing. Angrily, he pinged it again. Still nothing. Smashing a button on the console, the ramp was lifted shut and he allowed himself to slump into his swivel pilot's seat.

"If something happened to her... this will ruin everything." Kyuubi fingered the tip of his long Kitsune ears between his pointed, black nails of his forefinger and thumb. Tapping out commands on the display before him, Kyuubi contacted Orochimaru.

"I have a mission for you."

* * *

Orochimaru smirked down at the beautiful Shock Trooper before him, finally feeling a little less hatred and tense. It had been so long since he had loosened up, and she was really starting to alter his mindset.

"It's okay to let yourself go, every once and a while," Anko whispered suggestively, her lips brushing his.

Unable to contain himself any longer Orochimaru was about to answer the call that nature was beckoning him so fervently with. And that's when his datapad began to screech it's innuendo, from atop the metal compartments of his dresser. It was the emergency tone.

Growling, Orochimaru pulled himself away from the pouting Captain, and got up from the bed in nothing but his boxers. Ignoring the effects that Anko had had on him, he strode over to the datapad and touched it.

"I have a mission for you." Kyuubi's head said from the screen, before Orochimaru could say anything to express his anger.

"Well, what if I refuse it? I'm a little busy!"

"You have no choice," Kyuubi stated simply, letting his smug eyes look at Orochimaru pointedly. Even though Orochimaru knew he was many systems away from the Uzumaki, he could have sworn that Kyuubi had just brushed his mind with the Force. _But only really powerful Force users can do that_, Orochimaru reasoned. _Not even _I_ can do that!_

"Well, what is it then?" Orochimaru ground out, glancing over to his bed where Anko was splayed out in her frilly black bra and panties. His pulse quickened, and he felt it in plenty of important places.

"You are to track down Hinata Hyuuga and bring her to me."

Allowing himself a small smirk, Orochimaru said, "So you lost your little pet?"

"Just do it. _Now_. And take that new guy, Kabuto, with you. The two of you should be able to handle her... maybe." And then his image flickered away.

"I guess you have to go now?" Anko pouted, crawling on all fours to the edge of the bed closest to him. The movement of her arms, and the angle at which she was facing him gave him a clear view of her ample cleavage.

"I wouldn't leave right now if Darth Sidious himself were holding a lightsaber to my head."

* * *

"Ino, wait up!" Shikamaru shouted, chasing after the girl.

"Yes, please," Choji wheezed, his large body struggling to keep pace.

Shikamaru groaned as he watched Ino, in one powerful leap, scale the large wall that cut them off from the Courtyard. How was Choji supposed to do that?

"Oh, my _side_," Choji whined, clutching at the offending part of his rather big side.

Instead of trying Ino's way and leaving Choji behind, Shikamaru kept running until he found a a lowered portcullis which blocked the main entrance. Taking a deep breath, Shikamaru focused his mind, until it seemed all of his thought and soul were contracted to the size of a pin hole. Then, launching himself forward, hands thrown out, he released all of the energy.

The old portcullis creaked, and then with a mighty, rusty _wrench_, a hole was blown inward at the weakest spot in the metal. It was just big enough to fit Choji through.

Deciding it was pointless to try to stay unnoticed after that loud break in, Shikamaru darted toward the first set of doors he saw, which were large, engraved, and of all materials, _wooden_. Ino was standing before the mighty entranceway, gazing up at its massive size. It was rare to see such structures; most everything was modernized and made of some sort of polymer or synthetic material.

Shikamaru placed a reassuring hand on the girl's exposed shoulder and said, "Whatever happens, I'm with you, Ino. And, I'm just saying, we can always turn around and leave this forsaken planet... Leave your old life behind. The three of us. That's all we really need." It was Shikamaru's last effort to change her mind, before he committed to the mission fully.

"It's just... Too hard to do that." Just as a panting Choji finally caught up to them, Ino through out her arms, bending the Force to her will. With a lurch, the large doors creaked open.

* * *

Naruto was locked into his drop capsule, where he would be launched through a chute on a direct course to the planet beneath the ship. He had been meditating for hours, wondering if the strange power would come back when he needed it most. As he meditated, more and more suffering reached him through the eddies and flow of the Force. He could feel the planets pain. He could feel every creature that's life was snuffed out by the suffocating darkness.

Just as Naruto resolved himself to fix the planet no matter what, all at once he felt it _disappear_. He lurched in his seat, smashing his head on the metal casing. He was strapped in to tight for anything else to have been hurt. To his surprise, he realized the jerk had been enough to cause blood to run down his left ear, to drip off his earlobe onto his shoulder.

"Sir," a light blinked from the display directly in front of him. An image of a confused looking navigator appeared on the screen. "Your presence is requested on deck." And then it was gone. The straps released themselves, untangling Naruto from his seat. He felt a void in himself. Something was simply... _gone_ from him.

He dazedly made his way to the Command Center of the ship, where Anakin looked gravely out of the transparisteel viewport. Naruto went to stand beside him, and gazed in the same direction. Corellia was gone. In fact, all light that had once been in the area was gone as well. No stars shone where it had once been, making it seem as if _something_ was still there. "Is it a black hole?" Naruto asked, his brow furrowing in concentration.

"No," the navigator that had been on Naruto's screen called out,"there's no gravitational pull. And with the planet simply... _not there_... the moon has been thrown off balance. It's been launched into a collision course with Corell, the system's sun."

Naruto contemplated this. "This is quite a stroke of... _something._ I can't call it luck, a whole _planet_ is gone. But, our mission is complete... Halfway."

Then the darkness moved, sweeping over the doomed moon. It was only discernible by the light it blocked out when it moved form location to location.

"Why did it do that?" a Clone spoke up, pulling off his helmet.

"I... I think it's semi-sentient." Anakin said, finally speaking up. "Look, it's moving again!"

But just as more lights were blocked out and others were revealed, it was out of sight. And the moon was gone, as well. "Where is it going?" Naruto demanded, looking at the navigator for an answer. "Track it!"

"I... I'm projecting it's trajectory now, sir." The man said, his forehead glistening with sweat. He blinked a few times. "It's so _fast_. It's approaching light speed..."

"Where is it going?" Naruto asked once more, his frustration seeping into his voice.

"I... I lost it, sir." The Navi said hesitantly, as if he expected Naruto to thrash him for not having an answer.

"Well, what _direction_ was it going in, Navigator?" Naruto said, approaching the man. He hated to pull rank, but this was a matter of great importance.

"Sir," the man gulped, his face slightly flushed. "I can't breath!" He gasped.

Naruto suddenly realized the amassed heat in the room; he had been subconsciously manipulating the Force through his anger and frustration. He released his hold on the power, and the room even seemed to get a bit less bright as well as more that a bit less hot. "I'm sorry," Naruto said quickly. "I'm new to this sort of... power."

"Yes, sir," the Navigator managed. "I have calculated that the mass of darkness was heading to one of many systems, but the one most likely was the Getsuei system, when one takes in the probability factors and constantly increasing velocity..."

"Yes, yes. All Jedi are trained intensively in physics. Set a course to that system, immediately. Uhm, if that is okay with you, Anakin?"

"Well... I have to report back, actually. But, I'm not going to stop you from commandeering one of our Hyperspace capable ships." Anakin shrugged, knowing why it was so important for Naruto to do this.

Naruto now realized how much he wanted to go alone, anyway. He nodded gratefully to his friend, and quickly left the bridge.

* * *

"You cannot be serious," Kurenai said, her voice cracking. A tear left a salty trail in its wake as it traveled along her cheek.

"I'm sorry, but it _is_ the truth."

It was raining now on Coruscant, the heavy sheets of water distorting the lights from beyond on the large oval viewport in Jiraiya's office. It only rained a very few times a year, and it only added to the turmoil within Kurenai.

"So... Everything has been a lie? From the very start? I need to know more!"

Jiraiya only shook his head. "I am a Council Member, and must continue to be one. I've only told you this to try and help you."

"Help me? I'd rather have never known!" Kurenai cried, smashing her fist into the viewport. It didn't even tremble.

"But now you have a decision to make, Kurenai. You can choose the life you want to lead."

"Just tell me, Master... I don't know what to do. Tell me... Please." Kurenai cast her moist eyes on her old Master. She no longer had any drive. She just wanted to be told what to think, how to think, and when to think it. She no longer wanted the freedom of free will.

"That, I cannot do." Jiraiya sighed

Kurenai fell to her knees, sobbing. "I am lost, Master. All my life... Everything... It's all _gone _now!"

"Then I believe now is the time you can finally come into your own self. I'll list you off as MIA..."

"Missing in Action? Why?" Kurenai croaked, looking up through bleary eyes.

"Now that you know..."

Kurenai's eyes fell back to the floor and she nodded. It was all beginning to make sense now.

* * *

**It seems these chapters are becoming less frequent, and in shorter length. I have not given up on this story! I just want you all to know that. I intend to see this to the end, and would appreciate it if you all bear with me. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Feel free to ask me any questions and to leave a review to encourage me through these tough chapters.**


	15. Revelations Continued

Shikamaru gazed at the kneeling, pink haired girl. Her head was bowed low, and the hair hid her face. Standing in front of Sakura was a dark haired Hyuuga, definable by her strange eyes. Stranger than any he had ever seen, due to the swirling dark clouds hidden behind the lavender lenses.

"Where's Sasuke?" Demanded Ino as she pulled her lightsaber from her belt. Shikamaru readied his hand for the drawing of his own weapon, and could hear the shifting of Choji's weight, something the Akimichi did only when he was preparing himself for some serious shooting.

"Who are you?" the Hyuuga asked, her eyebrow arched in an inquisitive manner.

"The Ino-Shika-Cho Trio!" Cried Ino impulsively, causing Shikamaru to slap his palm to his forehead.

"Sheesh, Ino, I thought we agreed we didn't need a silly name like that?" Complained the Nara. "I thought the 'Troublesome Trio' fit a lot better, to be honest. Has a nice ring to it, huh?"

"No! We are the Ino-Shika-Cho squad, and that's the end of that!" Ino said with her best 'I'm the boss' voice.

"I agree with Shikamaru, In-"

"You're disagreeing with _me_, tubby?"

"HEY," roared Choji,"I'M NOT FAT! I just wear a lot of armor!"

"Right," Ino said with a smirk, actually turning away from the enemy. "And how many bags of chips did you eat on the way here, chubbs?"

"Take that back," cried the Akimichi, who lumbered in her direction.

"Come and get me, fatty!" Ino laughed, easily hopping around his laborious punches. They were slowly backing towards the Hyuuga girl, who seemed to be watching in amusement. Sakura had already gotten to her feet, but stared expressionlessly at the floor.

"Now!" Shikamaru cried, exploding from his position, the Force propelling him straight over his comrades and at the Hyuuga. As he whizzed over his big friend, he could already hear the sizzling of a lightsaber extending to its full extent, and blaster bolts being fired out in rapid succession. Shikamaru's own lightsaber was already gripped in his two hands and extended out. Time seemed to slow as he approached the unconcerned Hyuuga girl. He soon found out why she was so indifferent to his attack.

Out of nowhere, a white blur collided with Shikamaru, knocking him completely off course, and straight back to the hard stone floor. All the air was squeezed from his lungs, and his diaphragm froze. He felt like he was going to die of asphyxiation at that very moment, but he did what he knew he had to do. He punched himself in the stomach, restarting the breathing muscle. Taking in a gulp of air, he rolled to his feet just in time to block the lightsaber that came crashing down from overhead. It was Sakura's.

* * *

Naruto had taken the fastest ship in the hangar bay; the _Warped_ was an experimental ship, designed by the most elite Jedi scholars around. It was said to warp time itself, it was so fast. Naruto doubted it; he thought it was just a bunch of hype. But after he caught up with the darkness... He almost retracted the thought.

It basically ran itself, it was so sophisticated. Give it a command, and it would follow it. No middle-way to it. The only thing _not_ programmed into it's CPU was that some things are impossible. And without impossible in its metaphorical dictionary... Naruto could only imagine the possibilities. And given the craft's extensive hardware capabilities, the most advanced in the whole Galaxy, Naruto thought he'd like to keep the ship.

The darkness gained speed as it went, almost following the law of gravity, where it gains more speed as it goes. Which, Naruto thought, was probably a good term for the darkness. Gravity was a type of attraction, and Naruto was sure this semi-sentient _thing_ was being attracted by _something_. And he had a fairly good idea what that _something_ was.

"Well, Hinata," Naruto sighed. "You wanted me to see you. Here I come."

* * *

Orochimaru walked into the training room, just in time to see Kabuto finish his fight.

Kabuto's arms blurred as he pounded away at the Shock Trooper armor his opponent was wearing. It was Kirabi, nicknamed Killer Bee for his savage fighting skills and frequent rants of, "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!" He was a Shock Trooper, but trained in the more brutal arts of the Force. He carried eight lightsabers, and was deadly effective with all of them at the same time. He had joined the CIS just for some action; Orochimaru was fairly certain Lord Sidious had been kicking himself when he hadn't found this gem early enough to brainwash him.

"Your fists are fast, but they are no match for my tough ass!" Kirabi yelled, snatching at Kabuto's gloved hand. Kabuto retreated so fast, Orochimaru wasn't even able to track his movements.

The rules of this spar were simple: each contender was fully armored in the Shock Trooper standard. No weapons, no rules. Kirabi was the reigning champion, and Orochimaru knew how much Kabuto hated that.

"You think you have rhymes? You think you can fight?" called out Kabuto, "There's no contest when its speed versus might!"

"Oh, oh, oh!" Kirabi bit the bait. "You want to call me out, boy? I've been killing men since you were in a crib playing with toys!"

_Oh Kami_, Orochimaru prayed to his personal god, _Please no._ As soon as Kabuto had met Killer Bee, the two had become notorious rivals. In all ways.

"Don't give me that slander, Kirabi! You're just jealous because I float like a butterfly and sting like a _bee_!"

"Hey, hey, hey! You think you can steal my material? You think you can defeat me? I'll bring you down big time, smash your face into my knee!"

"You're just a big ol' softie, you think I'm scared of you? I smoked an entire race, and I'll smoke you, too!"

"An entire race? Is that what you think you've slain? You seem to be forgetting.. a certain man named Pein?" The crowd roared in laughter at that, and Kirabi began to nod his head, getting into his rhythm. He moved in for the killing verse. "That's right I'm the Killer Bee. You better hope to your god that you never mess with me. I dish out sweet rhymes; can easily spit out a rap. If you think you have a chance, do yourself a favor, and just take a nap."

Orochimaru rolled his eyes as the audience roared with delight, rushing in to clap Kirabi on the back. Orochimaru grabbed Kabuto by the shoulder and pulled him from the chaotic room, out into the empty corridor. "We have a mission."

* * *

"Target is two kilometers North. Wind at three kilometers per hour due Southeast. Traffic obstruction is high... probability factor of a clean shot is almost zero. Target is stationary; probably meditating. Calculating best time for shot based on the median movement and average alterations of vehicles from aligned traffic airways. Fire.... Now."

Through the high-powered traditional scope, the sniper watched as her molten plasma bolt zipped past a human's nose in his cruiser, scrape a centimeter under a tanker, and enter the Jedi Temple at maximum velocity for the distance traveled. And still Yoda sensed it beforehand, sidestepping and batting the bolt straight back all in one deft movement. It lost momentum not ten meters from Tenten, dissolving into the air. She grinned at the Grand Jedi Master, as he glared through her scope in her direction.

"I know you can't see me... but I see you. Could you feel it? Your death brushing against your neck, getting so close? I won't miss next time..." In fact, this was the first time in Tenten's career that she had _ever_ missed.

"We have to _move_, Tenten! Jedi are already on their way." Lee's voice crackled once more over her comlink, rousing the young woman from her roost. Pulling a plasma pistol from its holster, she blasted the the Chameleon Box to molten metal, then slung her high caliber MRX9-J across her back. She looked down from the ledge of the tall skyscraper where she was perched, and waited.

With her acute vision, Tenten had already picked out five different cruisers making a straight line for her. It didn't matter; her ride was waiting.

Ever since she was young, Tenten had the marksman skills that seemed to defy all reasoning. She'd never missed, even when her eyes were closed. Some Jedi had tried to take her away from her mother, saying she'd be much better off in a Temple learning and developing her skills. They said she could never reach her full potential otherwise. They had no idea the kind of fierce devotion Tenten had for her sickly mother at the age of three; she had no problem sending her makeshift throwing knives straight into the base of their skulls as they tried to explain to her mother that she had no say in the matter.

Ever since then, Tenten had harbored her hatred of the Jedi in her heart; for chasing her since then, for sending her mother into an early grave, and for trying to tell her what she could and could _not _do.

And with her amazing skills came her velocity calculation comprehension; though Lee clearly had the accelerator wide-open, it was no problem for Tenten to hop down from the ledge and land safely next to her Observer.

"These Jedi think they can outrun our flames of youth? We are just getting started!" cried Tenten's overzealous friend, whom often went into long monologues about flames and youth... and any other weirdness he could think of. Tenten usually tuned it out.

Tenten began to put her MRX9-J into its proper case, and briefly glanced into the stack of sniping mirrors, which were useful to fill in her blind spots in unsecured areas. Her hair was tied up in two tight, black buns at the top of her head, slightly angled outwards. The light chocolate brown of her eyes always seemed kind and honest; perfect for infiltration missions. She had, on more than one occasion, turned those wide, innocent eyes into deadly weapons. As soon as you had somebody's trust, they were as good as dead.

She considered this for a little while as Lee maneuvered along the airways at breakneck speeds, soon losing the Jedi pursuers. Maybe if she had tried to get inside the Order; maybe if she had tried to complete her mission from the inside. Then she just shook her head. With the High Council constantly on alert for assassins, they would have sensed her intentions in a second. Though she was told her Midi-chlorian count was quite high, she had never had any talent in manipulating the Force. Not that she cared.

She valued her marksman skills above all else.

"We have to report the mission as a failure, Ten" Lee finally said, his shoulders slumping. They had a good run; ever since Tenten had become a bounty hunter, she had gained a reputation of never failing. Her targets always ended up dead, one way or another. And now she had to report to to her employer that, for the first time in her life, she had missed.

With a grimace, she pulled out her datapad.

* * *

Shikamaru gasped as he deflected yet another swipe of Sakura's lightsaber. She attacked him relentlessly; the emotionless visage of her face unchanging. There was a spaced out look in the pink haired woman's eyes, and Shikamaru thought she looked like a moving corpse. A very _fast_ moving corpse.

Parrying a stabbing strike, Shikamaru spun around the girl and swung his lightsaber horizontally, aiming for a lethal blow at her neck. Another blade popped from the other end of Sakura's lightsaber hilt, extending so fast Shikamaru was almost impaled as he jumped back just in time. He watched with wide eyes as the deadened Sakura turned to face him, spinning the dual-phased lightsaber with expert precision. Sakura maneuvered the lightsaber so that it seemed to flow in one long stream of energy, gyrating from one side of her body to the other, protecting all of her front as she approached.

Shikamaru calculated the movement of the weapon before him, his eyes following it, looking for some sort of flaw in her technique. He positioned himself firmly, planting his feet apart at shoulder width, his knees slightly bent in case he needed to spring for an escape. And then Sakura was on him once more.

Shikamaru jabbed forward with his blade, stopping the oscillation but eliciting the other, unoccupied side to attack. Raising his lightsaber hilt high, his blade pointed to the ground, Shikamaru was just able to bock the counterattack. But, with Sakura's weapon's reach and advantage, there was no time to block as the other end arched at him. With each slash, he had to block and take a step back. He parried, blocked, and ducked under the attacks, hastily retreating backwards.

_This is not good_, Shikamaru thought, his teeth grinding. He could feel his face was damp with sweat from the effort. _So this s what it's like to fight a fully trained Jedi in a real fight. How troublesome._

Shikamaru gasped as Sakura caught the tip of his blade, flinging it through the air and in one fluid movement, she spun and brought her leg up into Shikamaru's chest. Hard. He fell back, his heel catching on the stone steps of the dais. He landed on the sharp angles of the steps, and he saw red and white spots pop up in front of him. He had the vague sensation that he hit his head, but all he could feel was pressure at the back of his skull.

A foot planted itself firmly on Shikamaru's abdomen, and a light green lightsaber, matching the girls' eyes, was floating just above his neck. Shikamaru froze, not daring to move. Looking around the room, he could see the battle was over. The female Hyuuga had already disarmed Ino, who lay unconscious at her feet. The white blur that had taken Shikamaru out of attacking distance of the leader was standing on top of a moaning Choji, whose various blasters were scattered along the floor out of his reach.

"Okay, okay. I see we've had a few differences... Let's start over," Shikamaru began with an enticing smile, looking in the direction of the leader. His words would be lost on the other two Zombies, he saw. "My name is Shikamaru Nara. What's yours?"

With a bemused smile, the Hyuuga girl nodded at Sakura. The pink haired girl stepped off of Shikamaru and retracted her blades, her glazed over stare unchanging. Shikamaru got to his feet, and thought to himself whether he should use the Force to summon his lightsaber hilt. He quickly abandoned this train of thought, though, when his lightsaber sailed into the Hyuuga girl's hand.

"My name is Hinata, and I believe you are trespassing."

* * *

Naruto stared anxiously through the viewport, where the darkness was splayed out. It had been stretching and contorting, changing shape and density. At one point, it had exploded into a massive mess of black, and Naruto thought it was about to swallow him whole. But, instead, an instant later it compressed and spun, spearing forward even faster.

They were getting _very_ close to the Getsuei system. Naruto glanced down and saw that they would be arriving in mere seconds. Naruto was determined to be at the location of wherever the blackness was headed, and so he told the computer to keep a constant speed. He ran over the physics in his head; the atmosphere of the planet, if not hit at _exactly_ the right angle at this speed would instantly obliterate him. He hoped the CPU was what it was cracked up to be.

_But_, Naruto though, a little queasily,_ Even if I do make it through... at this speed, I'll be destroyed anyway._

With no warning, the craft and blackness emerged from the hyperspace tube, and were immediately upon the wide green planet.

"This is it," Naruto whispered to himself, gripping the arms of his seat. The Blackness was slowing down significantly, and the ship was able to make it into the atmosphere without any major mishaps. Naruto gritted his teeth as the ship steered itself through the turbulence, following the blackness that was rolling itself up into a ball. Now the ball was following the actual laws of gravity, as it was in free fall as if it had mass and weight. As if it was _not _just wavelengths compressed together in various patterns.

Naruto shook his head, unstrapping himself, forcing his eyes to tear away from the viewport. _This is crazy_, he thought over and over.

He soon found himself in the airlock hatch, hand hovering over the release button that would fling him from the ship. He was passed the atmosphere now and was low enough to be safe during the fall. It was the landing he was worried about, though. Suddenly, Naruto could hear Jiraiya's voice, saying the same thing Naruto had been taught since the first day he had become the Toad Sage's apprentice. _Trust in the Force, Naruto. Let it guide you_, he said. Naruto pressed the button.

There was nothing to prepare him for the whiplash of the ejection. His body was hurled into open air, flipping and twisting, with no way to tell which way was up or down. Naruto closed his eyes, and he imagined himself clothed in light. Bathed in it. The warmth came first; then the power. Then, the confidence. Opening his eyes Naruto could see that he had been straightened out, and he was rocketing towards the ground, past _Warped_.

And before him was a tightly compressed black ball, seemingly shying away from Naruto's light.

"I've got you now!" Naruto roared against the wind, spearing his body at the dark ball. The _Warped_ veered away, the autopilot steering it to a safe location. Now it was just Naruto and the darkness, free falling at incredible speeds.

Letting the Force envelope him, shield him ,and guide his movements, Naruto flung open his arms as if he was welcoming the dark ball into a hug. Even though a million other things were happening around Naruto, all he could feel was the Force and how it was interacting with the darkness as he got closer. He could feel the terrible, awesome power of the concentrated energy mass before him. He hoped his new powers could contain it.

Finally, Naruto was close enough that the light formed a translucent sphere of Force energy around him and the dark ball. Naruto closed his eyes in concentration, his mind going into overload as it had done back on Naboo, processing so fast that time seemed to slow down. He let his powers work away at the darkness, attempting to dissipate the energy that had sucked the life from millions of beings and lifeforms.

Then he realized there was no time left. Naruto's eyes snapped open just in time to see the duracrete surface below him, slightly blurred by the sphere of power.

* * *

Hinata stared at the intruders, all crouching in a neat little row before her. Her lightsabers were deactivated, but she held them in her hands, ready to finish the job if needed.

"Why are you here?" she asked the only person still conscious: the spiky haired teenager that called himself Shikamaru.

"We tracked someone to this location... My accomplice here seems to have a very troublesome attachment to the sucker." Shikamaru glanced down at the slumped over girl next to him, and Hinata's keen eyes didn't miss the look of longing and hurt.

Hinata shrugged indifferently, saying, "You're too late. I've already promised him to Sakura." Hinata then threw a glance in her friend's direction, a look of worry passing briefly over her features. "But I won't deny that you have skill... I suppose I have to kill you now." She gave a small sigh, as if the thought of killing three people was nothing more than an annoying chore.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Shikamaru said quickly, his eyebrows narrowing slightly. Hinata could almost hear the gears in his head go into overdrive as he tried to think of a way out. "Let's not get hasty here... We just wanted to pay a friendly visit!"

Hinata smiled a sweet, innocent smile. "You attacked first, you know."

"It was only a friendly spar... A test, you know? To, uh, see if we were all on the same page. It's so troublesome dealing with weaklings... You gotta take it easy on them; you get what I'm saying?"

_Oh, I get what you're saying._ Hinata thought, giving a small shake of her head. _You're trying to lay down a sort of foundation in my mind that you are the weaklings? That I should take pity on you because you couldn't defeat us?_ Suddenly, Hinata laughed aloud. She could tell this sent a chill down Shikamaru's spine.

"I suppose there has to be something we can work out," Hinata said with a grin, her cloudy eyes sweeping across her prisoners once more.

"Of course," Shikamaru said, his body becoming less tense from the relief.

Hinata trembled as an electrical current seemed to hyper-charge every cell in her body. The entire Throne Room grew dark, and Hinata's power came gushing out, with no other place for release. Fighting for control of her shaking body, Hinata managed to gasp out, "Neji, take Hanabi and get out of here! Now!"

She caught a glimpse of her Guardian carrying out her order just before her eyes clenched shut.

Then Hinata's entire world erupted into a whirl of duracrete, pain, and chaos.

* * *

Kurenai's red eyes flashed in the darkness, the light from her cyan colored lightsaber reflecting from the crimson orbs in a ghostly fashion. Her target sat before her, meditating casually. His green skin was wrinkled and leathery; the remaining hair on his head was silvery and thin. The ridges of his skull could be seen protruding in a distinctive pattern along his head. His ears were long and pointed, protruding outwards, curving at the tips. And his pug nose topped off the old, sagely look of Yoda. Even when Kurenai had entered his chambers, lightsaber activated, he had not even missed a breath.

"Know, you do," he said, eyes still closed in a relaxed pose. Kurenai was sure his lightsaber was hidden beneath the folds of his brown, scratchy-looking Jedi robes.

"Yes." It was a simple word, but Kurenai managed to channel all of her hurt and betrayal into it.

"Ordered the attack, you did."

This time Kurenai said nothing. At first, she had ordered the attack because she didn't believe she could carry out what she knew she needed to do. She didn't know if she could kill the Grand Master Jedi, who had been her hero since she was a Youngling. And now, standing before the small Master Jedi, Kurenai still didn't know if she had what it took.

"Sorry," he said, with a small shake of his green head,"I am."

"Sorry for what you've done? Or are you sorry for me knowing?" Kurenai spat, glaring down at the small Council Member.

"Better than me, think you are? Hmmm...? Wiser, too... yes?" Now Yoda's eyelids slid open, and Kurenai felt a power that was both ancient and powerful emanate from the green eyes. It felt as if the whole wisdom of the Universe were staring into her soul, uncovering her most inner secrets. "Know you, I do. Better than me, you are not." He now rose to his full height, which was not very high at all. But Kurenai felt as if the Jedi in front of her was actually looking _down_ on her; as if she was some puny insect that he could crush in a second if she bothered him too much.

"Weak, you are. Too self righteous... Yessss." Yoda took a few steps towards Kurenai, and the young Jedi brandished her lightsaber in a defensive position. With a slight movement of his eyes, Yoda had disarmed Kurenai, jerking her lightsaber from her hand and catching it from the air. Kurenai gasped, backing away from the small creature. _He's too powerful_, she cried in her mind.

Yoda then outstretched one tridactyl hand, palm down. Kurenai felt her body grow heavier. She fought to resist the weight that was trying to bring her to her knees. Yoda then dropped his hand down slowly, Kurenai lowering at the same pace. With a cry of dismay and exhaustion, Kurenai crashed to her hands and knees.

The Yuuhi flung her head up, tears pooling at the corners of her eyes, her face set in a defiant yet miserable look. She was at eye level with Yoda now, and he stood no farther than a foot away. She could even smell his breath, which was surprisingly pleasant. The only way Kurenai could describe it to herself was that it was like the breath of life. _Of course, that makes no sense_. She suddenly realized she was about to die, and all she could think about was what the Grand Master Jedi's _breath _smelled like!

"Why?" Kurenai finally cried out, letting her tears fall. "Why do all this? Why?"

"Understand, you cannot." Yoda held her gaze for a moment, then the Yuuhi averted her gaze to the floor.

"Just get it over with. Kill me, you two-faced asshole!" Kurenai roared, letting out the pent-up frustration and anger she had been holding in ever since Hinata had slipped from her grasp. Ever since Asuma died... The transparisteel windows lining the walls erupted outwards with a great _crash_, and Kurenai felt suddenly exhausted. If she wasn't held in Yoda's Force grip, she would have slumped to the floor.

"Much power, you have. Yes... My place to end you, it is not." Yoda stretched out one gnarled, clawed finger to lift Kurenai's chin upwards, and Kurenai let her tired eyes stare into the Swamp pools of Yoda's own eyes. Suddenly, she was back on his home planet, the green vegetation stretching out for miles. She was in a hut, seemed to be built coinciding nature, growing _with_ the tree that it was made in. As she looked out of a small window, she could see a happy village of Yoda's own kind. Though the ground was murky and almost swamp-like, the upper regions of the trees where the population was living was dry and warm. It was beautiful.

And then she saw...

"Oh, no..." The tears were now falling even harder, her body now hiccuping and sobbing uncontrollably. She hated him even more now.

"A lie in and of itself, truth is. Hmmm? Copied and manufactured, nothing but an illusion, that is. Is but half the journey, knowing is. Only once understanding has been accomplished, can you have truth. Yes..." She saw him nod solemnly, and suddenly she was free of his hold on her. She crashed to the cold floor and didn't bother to pull herself to her feet. "Seen your heart, have I. Done the same, you would have." Her lightsaber hilt fell to the left of her right hand, but she made no move to grab it.

She lay there sobbing as the soft pitter-pattering of his bare feet grew quieter, until it was gone.

* * *

**Now, who thinks that they know what's going on? I hope I haven't made it too obvious! Thank you for reading, and please leave feedback. If you have any questions (as long as they don't involve me revealing the plot!) feel free to ask.**


	16. Revelations Conclusion

"You've gained great power," a warm voice whispered from the blackness.

Hinata groaned, opening her eyes. There, in front of her, stood a tall man with long, spiky hair flowing down his back. His crimson, layered swordsman armor made him look strong and formidable. His face was beautiful; and his smile was a welcoming site. His dark eyes, which matched his attire in color, glowed warmly. Hinata pulled herself up into a sitting position, her body feeling slightly sore.

"Who are you?" Hinata asked hesitantly, glancing around quickly at her surroundings. But all she could see was darkness.

The man knelt before her, resting one elbow on his right knee, his other hand splayed out on the dark surface on which they were supported. He leaned forward. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said coolly.

"The story of my life," Hinata muttered, eying the man thoughtfully. He didn't seem dangerous. As far as she could tell, he was unarmed. Much like herself, she now saw. "But go ahead."

"Very well. But I'm not sure you will like it. I am Madara Uchiha."

Hinata's lip curled at the sound of his surname. The whole family was a plague, so this man was no different. "I see."

"Ah, you don't like me already, do you? I thought you wouldn't..." Madara sighed unhappily as he sat back on his haunches. He peered at Hinata, his inviting and kind smile unwavering. He cocked his head to the side as he examined her, causing his long spikes to cascade over the side of his face, hiding his right eye. "You are a remarkable woman, Hinata, do you know that?"

"How so?" Hinata said, her disgust with the man's lineage evaporating. She was now genuinely interested.

"You are like a sponge that soaks up all the negativity in this universe... you absorb pain unknowingly. Your whole existence has been a continuation of pain, in fact. I know you... probably more than you know yourself."

Hinata snorted, rolling her eyes.

"Ah, I see you are a little skeptical. Well then; tell me. Where are we?"

She looked back at him, her initial dislike resurfacing. "Hell, I suppose. My powers went crazy, and destroyed my throne room..."

"Hm. You blame your powers for what happened, as if they are not a part of you? Do you have a problem with taking responsibility?"

"No, of course not." Hinata's eyebrows were raised in surprise. Now his unchanging smile was starting to lure her into a false sense of security. She had underestimated him from the start. What was he after, anyway?

"And you say you are in Hell... Is this how you imagine Hell? A dark place... Stuck with people you dislike? Why, I believe that's how your life has been for the most part, as of late..."

"What's your point?" Hinata growled, not liking where this conversation was going.

"Why, you think I have a point? You think I'm going somewhere with this? These are simple observations. What do _you_ think my 'point' is?"

"I think you're trying to upset me. Possibly get me angry. How the hell would I know?"

"So, if my objective was to get you angry, then I have succeeded. But that is not so. Why did you come to the conclusion that I want to make you angry? Why, we have just met, and I should have no reason to want to upset you. Is it because you're angry for so much of the time, that you blame those around you, not yourself?"

Hinata said nothing. She just laid back, deciding to ignore this man for the rest of eternity in her little Hell.

"Hinata, you don't know how important you are to the Universe."

"Yes I do," she grumbled. "I'm the harbinger of death. The Planet Conqueror... The key instrument to the CIS's victory."

"Once again, you only prove me correct. You soaked up all the negative; you didn't even consider there being a positive side. I pointed out your importance, yet you immediately dismissed it as a terrible thing. You automatically assumed you're only good for destruction. Is that how you see yourself? A machine of war? Has Kyuubi stripped you of your former self completely?"

"My former self? What was I then, but a puppet? Doing what I was told... being controlled. So many rules. So many taboos. I was sick of it... I still am."

"But you realize, surely, that you are no different now than you were then? Your existence is still painful. You're still the dog of some faction or another. You're Kyuubi's pet-"

"Shut the fuck up, right _there_. I'm not his _pet_." Hinata rose back into a sitting position, her face twisted with rage.

"You hate him... Yet he is your Master. I don't understand why you don't just get rid of him."

"He's... Too powerful." Hinata's anger began to fade once more.

"Is that the real reason? The only reason?"

"He's... he's Naruto's _father_." She then turned bodily away from Madara, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her chin there.

"You feel that nobody has the right to kill anyone's parents. How hypocritical of you."

"And what do you know?" Hinata said drily.

"I know that you killed millions of people... Billions of lifeforms. A whole planet. I know that much."

"That wasn't me!" She screamed, her face pressed tightly into the crook between her knees, her tears sliding down her pant legs.

"Then it was your 'powers'?"

"Yes!" She cried desperately.

"You have to take responsibility... You have to come to terms with what you have done. Otherwise, you can never advance yourself."

"Advance myself? And what is that supposed to mean?" she asked bitterly.

"You're not ready to know that yet."

* * *

"Good evening, Naruto."

"Ohhh. My _head_." Naruto whined, pulling himself to his hands and knees. "Good _god_, that hurts."

"We have much to discuss."

"I must have hit my head really hard... all I can see is white." Naruto muttered, looking around.

"I'm sure you have many questions."

"This light is so _bright_. Ohhh..." Naruto lifted a hand to massage his temples.

"I'm certain you are curious as to where you are."

"I'm hearing voices... and I'm blinded by light..." Naruto blinked, wondering if his eyes were dysfunctional. "This must be what being blind is like, but in reverse."

"Ahem." An annoyed sounding voice came. "Are you listening?"

"I better not say anything back to it... I don't want to encourage my own hallucinations. I may never recover." He sat back on his knees, staring upwards. "Wasn't I falling...? I think I crashed... Oh my _head_."

Silence ensued for several minutes.

Naruto nodded to himself. "The voices are gone... but I still can't see. And my _head._" He groaned, finally standing up. It was only then that he saw a a man's silhouette in the bright surroundings. Naruto's eyes adjusted until the light became bearable. He was then able to make out the details of the man.

He stood tall, arms crossed. His swordsman armor was blue, with a crystalline trim. A fluff of white surrounded the base of his neck. His short cropped, spiky white hair almost seemed invisible in the bright light. And he wore a metallic plating over his forehead, extending over the sides of his translucent face. His eyes, a pale red pallor, stared expressionlessly at Naruto. And lastly, Naruto noticed markings on his face: a diagonal slash, the same color as his eyes, extended along each cheek, as well as one rising up from his chin.

Naruto eventually closed his eyes and tried to order his thoughts. "Okay. So... Am I dead?" He opened his eyes and looked straight at the man, expecting an answer.

"Of course not. You're in a sort of Limbo."

"So... I'm almost dead? That's just great!"

"No... Listen. We need to talk. You're straying from your destined path; you're too important to be chasing superficial vices."

Naruto stared blankly at the man. Then with a shrug, he said, "I don't know who you are, but I don't think I believe in defined paths or whatever you're talking about-"

"Oh. I suppose you forgot all your teachings as you rushed in to meet your girl?"

"Huh? Who are you anyway?"

"I'm nobody important. But you, young one, are crucial to the survival of the Force."

"Wait... What?"

"Do you think you've been given these powers for no reason? You _are_ the Chosen One."

Naruto scratched his head and smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, about that. I don't like the sound of it too much. I think I'm going to let Anakin take the credit for being 'chosen'. I just want to live my life, all right?"

"No, it is most definitely not 'all right'! You are gifted with such phenomenal power, yet you waste it away on such trivial matters such as saving planets-"

"Trivial matters? _Trivial matters_?" Naruto roared. "That planet was _alive_! Now it's gone, and no one can bring it back!"

"You seem upset by this... Your emotions are too strong."

Naruto shook his head, not believing what he was hearing. And his head _hurt_. "I don't think I can handle arguing with a mental projection right now."

"Think about it, Naruto. Who made that killer darkness? What monster destroyed that pl-"

"Hinata is _not_ a monster!"

"Then, the planet can't have been _that_ important if you're defending the cause of its death."

Naruto said nothing. He was determined to wake himself up now; surely he was just dreaming if he was not dead.

"Naruto, you won't be leaving here. Not for a while. At least, not until we have you sorted out. It won't do for you to run amok with what you have inside you."

"Inside me?"

"Yes. The Chosen One is not as everyone has interpreted it to mean. The Chosen One is, in fact, the one who absorbs enough Midi-chlorians-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up. _Absorb_ Midi-chlorians? What's that supposed to mean?"

The man sighed, his eyes downcast. "Naruto, the fate of all rests upon your shoulders. And, I'm sorry to tell you this, you will have to choose what happens. Will you condemn the trillions of trillions of lifeforms to non-existence for your own selfish desires? Or will you do what needs to be done?"

Naruto arched a suspicious brow. This could not be good.

* * *

Shikamaru groaned, then immediately began coughing up a lungful of dust. It took several minutes for him to clear his chest. He then surveyed what had once been a magnificent Throne Room.

The hall was wrecked; a large portion of the ceiling had seemingly caved in. Large chunks of stone and duracrete laid in an inclining pile, away from Shikamaru into the center of the room. Where Hinata had been standing.

"Ino?" Shikamaru called out, coughing once more as he pulled himself to his feet. A fine layer of dirt coated his entire body. He ignored it as he called out once more for his friends. "Choji?"

"Shika? Is that you?" Ino said softly, weakly. Shikamaru immediately rushed to the source of her voice. He looked down on her, a stunned expression on his face.

"Is it bad? Give it to me straight, Shika." The Jedi moaned, eyes closed. "Is my hair messed up?" She gulped, preparing for the worst.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, searching the surroundings for his large friend. "Get up. You're fine."

Laboriously, with much dramatization and effort, Ino finally pulled herself to a standing position. She gave Shikamaru a sorrowful look, pooching out her lower lip. "We lost," she whimpered.

"Yeah, so let's get the heck out of here. Now. Help me find Choji." Shikamaru had to pull his eyes away from the blond. Despite the dirt and minute debris coating her, Ino still looked fabulous, like always. It also took great effort to ignore how cute she was when she pouted.

"Aaaaargh!" a thundering voice boomed about the wrecked room. A buzzing sound enveloped the room as Choji assailed open air, blindly slashing with his Wakizashi lightsaber. Shikamaru was careful to put some distance between himself and his panicking friend.

"Choji, relax! It's okay! I think we're the only ones left in the room." After much coaxing, Shikamaru and Ino finally got Choji to stow away his honor blade.

Choji blinked the dust from his eyes, clearing his vision. "Shikamaru? Ino? What happened?" He gaped around at the wrecked hall.

"I don't know. Can we talk later, please? That Hinata person is really strong... We need to leave, ASAP." Shikamaru glanced around nervously, as if he was expecting to be attacked at any moment. Which was not unlikely.

"But what about Sasuke," Ino whined, putting her hands on her hips defiantly, as if daring Shikamaru to say something against finding who they came for.

It took all of his strength for Shikamaru to grit his teeth and agree to look for the Uchiha. "Fine. Let's start looking for something like a dungeon." And they took off, not noticing the disturbance of debris and tumbling of dust from the pile of carnage stacked in the middle of the hall.

* * *

"I feel funny," Hinata whispered, hands shooting up to cradle her aching head.

"Hmm. It will go away soon." Madara's smile was gone, and his expression was now detached and indifferent. As if his mind had left his body completely.

"Why aren't you talking anymore?" Her voice was soft, and she felt weak. It was a fight just to keep her eyes open now. She was so tired...

"Shh. Everything will be all right." He began humming a soft lullaby.

Despite her dislike of the man, Hinata found his humming soothing. She lay back now, letting the soft tune engulf her. The melody wrapped around her like a soft blanket, and rocked her gently off to sleep.

* * *

Naruto blinked, suddenly feeling all his normal energy and feeling of power leave him. He sank to his knees, gasping for breath. The pain in his head was gone, only to be replaced by an airy, light-headed feeling. His vision blurred as he was now on all four limbs. He managed to bring his head up to stare at the pale man, who only stared blankly back.

"Wh-what's happening to me?" He gasped for breath again, his body slowly lowering, despite his effort to rise.

"Just let it happen, Naruto. You won't feel a thing soon."

"No..." he whispered, his voice so soft he could barely hear himself. What was happening to him?

Suddenly, Naruto sunk to the surface, completely engrossed as the man began singing.

"In the Autumn of my homeland,

the Manderin fruit falls.

The juicy ripe sweetness,

brings joy to us all.

We harvest it by day,

feast on it at night.

Oh the wonderful pleasures,

the Fall brings to sight."

As the swordsman hummed the Chorus, Naruto slipped into the white abyss.

* * *

The rubble mountain exploded in a dark rage of power. Madara Uchiha stood at what was once its epicenter.

"Ah... Freedom at last." He was so close to being whole again. This girl had a phenomenal power; yet she just refused to use it. Yet, how could she know how important it is that she does? How could she _not_ know? Surely she had some inkling.

Madara glanced around, taking his bearings. Then he began to get used to his body.

It was so much different than what he remembered, though it had been eons ago. And the weight distribution threw him off a little bit. After all, he had never had breasts before. And, some small part of his mind noted, they were quite a large pair.

_Her body is in perfect shape_, he thought, marveling at how well she took care of herself. He placed a hand on his firm abdomen, noting the slight curves. _Genetically, she'd make a wonderful mother_, he thought as he noted the round hips. He examined his arms and legs then, feeling the flexibility and sinewy strength. _Marvelous_, he admired.

And then he felt it; the disturbance in the Force that had started everything, oh so long ago.

"Well, hello, brother."

Tobirama Uchiha studied his own body. The well defined, toned muscles of his host gave him excellent body strength. And the powers that dwelled in the boy were exceptional as well; though they were only a fraction of what he himself had at one time. He shook his head, feeling the longish blonde hair bounce back into its eternal shape on his head. He kept his face emotionless as he stood facing his older brother, Madara. Despite his new appearance, Tobi had no trouble sensing who he really was.

He examined him; the dark clothing was slightly shredded from the stained glass that had rained down when Naruto had crashed through the dome. But, Tobi knew, both he and Madara's powers were enough to protect the two hosts from physical harm.

"Well, hello, brother."

Tobi brushed the dust from his own tattered clothes, stepping forward. "Hello, Madara."

"Tobirama, you're just the person I didn't want to see. I had actually hoped your little weakling host would fail your little test."

"I bet you did, you coward."

Somehow, Madara managed to make that beautiful face scrunch up into an ugly snarl. "You caused all of this! You're the reason we are like we are!"

Tobi shook his head, chuckling. "Madara, do you not remember what _actually_ happened? Have all these years of being drifting leptons distorted you that much?"

Those dark, clouded eyes narrowed. "I'm no longer a dissolved being though, now, am I? And soon..."

Tobirama cast his gaze into the blue sky. One of the moons could be seen in the clear expanse, but the dwarf star made it look an ugly red color. Like blood. He looked back to his brother. "We can't do this. Not anymore; more lives than our own are at stake now."

"Do you think I am unaware of that? You've always thought me stupid and naive... I'm your elder, dammit!"

Tobi allowed himself a small, victorious smile. Madara was always quick to anger, despite his cool, indifferent personality.

"Madara, it's not natural for us to be alive."

"Then kill yourself, and leave me out of it! Ever since we were young, you've wanted to be a martyr. A martyr to a cause that can only hurt _you_ and _me_! Stop thinking of everyone else; by what law of nature does it make it right to kill us? We are alive too!"

"But we shouldn't be, brother! We had our chance, and we blew it. It's time we let things go back to the way they were. Ever since that day... we've only caused more and more destruction! Can't you see? The deaths of billions is on our hands!"

"I won't be blamed for wars I did not start!" Madara growled, his fists clenching. Tobi cocked his head to the side. Hinata's body was in such a Madara-like pose, that Tobi could almost see his brother there, in his own flesh.

"Did you not start them, brother? Did not some small part of your being cause all this chaos?"

"Oh yeah, and what about _you_? What has your little apprentice been doing all these years? I don't think he's been giving out candy to little kids, or even food to the starving. Hmm, in fact, I think he-"

"Leave him out of this! It was a mistake, I admit it, but he's done more good than-"

"Good?" Madara threw his head back and laughed, his long hair swishing with every booming chuckle. "More good than what? He's probably more at fault for the mess we're in than I am... And at the root of all the real trouble is yourself." Madara glared at his brother now. "And now I have the means to get you out of my hair... at least for now." With lightning speed and precision, Madara's lavender blade was an inch from Tobi's throat, the only thing preventing a full decapitation was Tobi's own lightsaber, dangerously close to his own face to block it.

"I see you still have your swordsman prowess. But I wonder, will the weight distribution and lack of a backswing throw you off? Let's see!" Madara taunted, pulling away for another attack a split second later.

Tobi furrowed his brow. Was Madara trying to say that the use of a lightsaber was not new to him, as well? Impossible!

Tobi parried the next couple of blows, and managed duck under the second lightsaber that had been extended without him noticing. Tobi barely managed to activate Naruto's mother's lightsaber before he had to block the rapid strikes once more.

As Madara beat at Tobi's blades with a savage fury, he found himself being pressed back. In fact, he was almost up against a wall...

As Madara swung his two blades in an overhead thrust, Tobirama managed to slide to the side to avoid being hit. He clipped his two lightsaber hilts, end to end, to form a lightsaber staff as he dived under the arcing purple blades. Tobi vaulted off his left hand just before Madara's lightsabers were able to slice him in two. Both his feet were on the wall now, but he had nowhere to go.

Madara gave a yelp of delight as his arms moved in a tornado of activity. Tobi was barely able to get the sides of his lightsaber staff placed quickly enough to block the slashing attacks, the force of the onslaught keeping him parallel with the floor.

Finally, after agonizingly brutal seconds passed of Madara hacking away at Tobi's own blades, he found a slight reprieve. He took his chance and somersaulted over Madara's head, watching Madara's head whip around to keep track of him, as if in slow motion.

Just as Tobi landed, he felt the massive wave of Force smash into him. He was flung clear across the room, stopping only when he was smashed against the giant wooden doors. The room darkened, and Tobi felt Madara's power take hold.

"No, no, no!" He growled, bringing himself to his feet. All the way on the other side of the hall stood Madara, proud and tall even in the Hyuuga's body, his lightsabers black as night. And all behind him was pitch dark as well.

Tobi rushed forward, a roar of power emitting form his lungs. Madara did the same, black wisps of power spreading behind him as he launched himself at Tobi, dissolving into the open space to make complete darkness. They met in the middle of the large Throne Room, Madara's dual weapons pressed firmly against the blade at the top of Tobi's own lightsaber staff. Madara's black power pulsed around him, and it was hard to make his form out. Everything in front of Tobi was completely dark now, and it looked as if he was standing alone. But he could still feel his brother; he could still feel the strong lightsaber lock holding his own staff in place.

Yet, in his peripheral vision, everything he saw was blindingly bright; an impenetrable whiteness. His own powers were giving him strength; combating the darkness before him.

How could dark and light be so close like this, as if they were intimate lovers kissing one another. How could light and dark touch like this, as if they weren't only visible when there was a lack of the other?

"Brother... I think our time is up." Tobi gasped, starting to feel the strain of the fight in his muscles, the drain in his own reservoir of power.

"We'll finish this... soon enough." A disembodied voice came from the void in front of Tobi. And then all was silent.

* * *

"What the _hell_ is that smell?" Shikamaru groaned, pulling his shirt over his face and coughing, eyes watering.

"Oh my..." was all Ino could say before retching. Choji grinned at his friends.

"What the... Was that _you_, Choji?"

"What? NO!" Choji roared, indignant. He glared at Shikamaru, a hurt expression on his face. "I just thought it funny how sensitive to it you two are. It's a _dungeon_, guys, remember? And if Sasuke's here..."

"Hello...?" a desperate voice called out. It sounded feeble; defeated. "P-please don't take away the light!"

"Sasuke? Sasuke is that you?" Ino called out.

"S-Sakura? Oh god, Sakura, don't come near me... I'm a mess..."

Ino huffed, crossing her arms. Her mouth was set and her eyes glared daggers into the dark corridor of cells. "I don't think we should rescue him anymore."

"W-what?"Shikamaru sputtered, incredulously. "We're here now... We might as well help the poor bastard." As much as he didn't like this Sasuke guy, Shikamaru was kind of pleased Ino was ready to just abandon him. Yet, now that he already made such a troublesome journey, he couldn't leave his mission incomplete.

"Oh, fine."

So they made their way down the smelly, damp line of cells. Until they found their objective...

Ino's face wrinkled in disgust. "I think I am going to throw up now."

After hearing how great and manly this Sasuke person was, Shikamaru was pleased to see that he had to shit and piss like everyone else. He, in fact, was not a god. But what really got to Shikamaru was the fact that the guy had shit and pissed on _himself_. "Um... Someone's gonna have to help him out of there. One, two, three. Not it!"

"Not it!" Ino cried immediately.

"Not- hey! No! No fair!" Choji whined as Shikamaru clapped his friend on the back.

"Be gentle with him, eh, Choji? And clean him up a little, too. We'll meet you upstairs." Shikamaru laughed and began walking away.

"Good luck, Choji!" Ino managed, quickly leaving the smelly vicinity.

"No fair guys! Come back!"

"Sakura..." Sasuke said once more.

* * *

Kurenai sat in her Captain's chair, reminiscing back to the days when she had been a Master of the Jedi Order. Back when she had Hinata and Naruto to look after and train. Back to the times when she had enjoyed life...

She sighed heavily, thinking about how much she missed her two charges. And that's why she was going out to find them.

* * *

Naruto came to, sporting his enormous headache once more. He moaned softly to himself, not daring to open his eyes, not wanting to wake up in the white room again. It was to his great surprise, then, when he noticed that he had a soft hand clasped in his own. He peeked out of his left eye and realized he was lying next to a dark haired girl, who seemed to be asleep.

"Hinata? Hinata!" He was so astonished to see her; after all this time being so far away... He was immediately kneeling beside her, both his hands clasped firmly around hers. All the feelings he ever had for her came flooding back tenfold. He really did love her. He could feel that now.

"Naruto?" Her eyes fluttered open, and Naruto could see, behind those dark clouds, the lavender lenses that he loved so much. He ignored the state of both of their attire and did what he had been wanting to do in the real world for so long now.

He leaned down and kissed her.

* * *

**Ah, finally! This chapter was unbelievably difficult. So much plot packed in there that I was wondering if anyone could understand any of it. I didn't want to give anything away; but I didn't want to make things so complicated that everyone just gave up on it.**

**Thank you for sticking with me thus far, and thank you for your wonderful reviews. And I know it's a little late, but I hope all of you (Americans) enjoyed Thanksgiving! I know I did.**

**Any questions or comments? Leave a review. If you want to discuss anything further, feel free to pm me.**


	17. Surreality

Orochimaru gritted his teeth as he kneaded the flesh above his mechanical knees. Despite the absence of a limb, and the lack of "real" physical pain, Orochimaru was tortured everyday of his life by his missing legs. _I was careless_, he reminded himself for the millionth time since that battle. _I should have never underestimated that brat. He's gotten the best of me too many times; no more will I allow it._ And then he remembered back to Naboo, where he had fought Naruto once more. How long ago was that? A week, maybe two at the most.

It had been so surreal, his time at the base. He had spent nearly every waking moment with Anko, and every sweaty, lust filled night... It had been a cold wake up call when Kyuubi commanded that he search out his missing apprentice. He grimaced. He was sharing a five-man ship with two others; Kirabi and Kabuto.

After Kabuto learned that he was going on his first important, official CIS mission, of course he began bragging about it while getting ready. All of base camp knew what he and Orochimaru were going to do before they left, so Kirabi just _had_ to come along.

Now, sitting in at his terminal, gazing out into the long tunnel that was hyperspace, Orochimaru cringed for the thousandth time as Kirabi and Kabuto erupted into another rap battle. _Oh, Kami, I never thought I'd miss Pein so much..._

* * *

Shikamaru was laughing as he ascended the stairs, throwing all caution to the wind. He figured the caved in Throne Room must have killed the other occupants, so he had nothing to worry about. He and his friends were safe, and that was all that mattered to him.

"Poor Choji," Ino laughed as she stretched out beside him, throwing a warm grin his way. Shikamaru liked that. _But what if she decides that Sasuke is more appealing once Choji finishes with him?_ Shikamaru frowned suddenly. "What's wrong?" Ino asked,looking at him quizzically.

"Oh, nothing. Sorry. Just had a brief vision of being in Choji's shoes for a second..."

They laughed again, moving along. As they made there way through the castle, they could hear their unfortunate friend yelp with joy from somewhere deep in the labyrinth of corridors, as he finally found a bathing area. _It really shows Choji's compassion_... Shikamaru didn't know if he could do that for a complete stranger. He was a little ashamed to admit it, even to himself, and he took a brief moment to secretly admire the noble qualities of his hefty friend.

They turned a corner and found themselves staring into the wrecked Throne Room once more, somewhere behind the dais. Shikamaru paused in his tracks, Ino stopping beside him. He sensed the Force clashing around him, as if there were two raging currents, going against each other...

He peeked around the large stone chair and saw, out in the middle of the room, two solitary figures on the floor. He blinked in surprise to find that they were _kissing_. Who was this new person... and where had he come from?

"Aww, that's so cute!" Ino whispered, causing Shikamaru to glare at her over his shoulder.

"Shh. That woman is powerful enough to crush us both in no time flat..."

"But look at those two! It's like... a perfect match. I can feel it," Ino said, in such a girlish way, that it made Shikamaru roll his eyes.

"Kawaii!" a girl's voice rang out, and Shikamaru's eyes immediately tracked the voice to its source. A girl was darting from the large, arched doorway. She tackled the two figures, seemingly overjoyed.

"Kawaii?" Shikamaru repeated, wondering at the meaning of the word.

"I told you it was cute!" Ino said triumphantly, sounding as if she actually _did_ know what the word meant.

Shikamaru huffed, "She could of said something like 'mommy!'"

"I don't think so," Ino said smugly, grinning down at Shikamaru as he glanced over his shoulder at her again. It was then that he noted the long haired Guardian that had tackled him during their attack earlier.

"Don't move," he growled, standing in an aggressive stance, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

"Heh, heh... Hi there. I believe we were discussing some sort of truce before?" Shikamaru reminded the steely-eyed man nervously.

* * *

Naruto and Hinata finally pulled apart, after falling into each others' embraces for those few precious moments. Naruto could still taste Hinata's sweet mouth. Rather selfishly, he was annoyed that the little girl came running up to them. Who was she, anyway?

Hinata laughed as the little Hyuuga girl tackled her. "Naruto," Hinata said, smiling up at him, "this is Hanabi. I found her enslaved on Tatooine... I had to save her from that awful life."

Naruto looked at Hanabi with genuine surprise. How much had changed since the last time he had seen Hinata?

"Hinata-sama, I have recaptured the intruders." A melancholy voice came, causing Naruto to look over at even more new faces. The expression on the man with the spiky top knot's face was one of extreme annoyance. The blonde girl standing next to him, with half her face covered by a fold of hair, also looked annoyed. Reaching out to the Force, Naruto could feel their power. One had the refined feeling of a Jedi; the girl. The other had a wild Force-flow, and Naruto could see he was self taught in his knowledge of the Force.

"And this is my faithful guardian, Neji. He actually saved my life... from Sasuke."

At hearing this, Naruto grimaced, getting to his feet. "What do you mean?"

"Ahem... I'm sorry to intrude on your little conversation, but... How are either of you alive? And where did you come from? And why the hell is everyone so calm?" The blonde girl's voice rose as she ended her little rant, and she glared pointedly at Naruto. It was only then that Naruto and Hinata observed their surroundings.

"My throne room," Hinata pouted, getting to her feet as well. Hanabi clutched at her thigh, suddenly shy.

"Ah, heh, sorry about that, Hina," Naruto grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"Sorry? You did all this?" The male prisoner said, disbelievingly. "How?"

"Well, when you're falling at a rapidly increasing rate, from thousands of feet up... As well as being encompassed in a powerful shroud of power... Things do tend to be broken." Naruto grinned cockily, as if it was no big deal to him. The man grimaced.

"Where's your other accomplice? The large one?" Hinata said, looking around.

"_More_ people?" Naruto asked, exasperated. "Just what has been happening in these few weeks?"

"It's a story best saved for another time..." Hinata said, distractedly. She turned her gaze on the man and woman. "Your names... Shikamaru and Ino, weren't they? Where's the other one... Choji?"

"He, uhm, left..." Ino said unconvincingly.

Hinata sighed, "Don't make this any more difficult than it has to be. As you can see, I've already had a bad enough day." She indicated her ruined clothes, scrapes, and bruises, as well as the wrecked room.

"First, the truce we were discussing before this one got involved," the man, seemingly named Shikamaru, said, nodding at Naruto.

"You're not in a position to be bargaining," Neji growled from behind them, making Ino yelp. He was so quiet, it was easy to forget he was there at all.

And then everyone but Naruto and Hanabi erupted in an argument. Neji's stance was that the two prisoners should be begging for 'Hinata-sama's' forgiveness. Hinata was stuck on the fact that she was attacked, seemingly without provocation. Shikamaru and Ino did nothing but defend their actions and counter with more trivial matters. Naruto sighed, watching the spectacle with embarrassment. It was all so petty; it all felt so surreal.

And then he thought of the audacity of himself to call _that_ surreal. He had just jumped out of his ship, thousands of feet in the air, and crashed through a stone ceiling, yet here he was, completely unharmed.

* * *

Sakura dashed through the castle, searching everywhere she could for her beloved Sasuke. Of course she had to act like she had succumbed to Hinata's will; it was paramount to Sasuke's release. And now was her chance to get him out. But where was he?

Suddenly, the pink haired Jedi stopped in her tracks in a long, stone corridor. What if Hinata was hurt? That cave in came down from directly above her... And what was that power she had felt, just a few minutes ago? It was as if the universe was composed of just two monstrously powerful forces, and they had collided head on. It had sent a shiver of fear down her spine at the time, and she was still feeling the effects.

But she persevered, moving to the lower levels. She eventually reached a stone stairwell that lead straight into a dank dungeon. A dungeon that smelled completely _horrible_. Sakura pulled out a re-breather from her utility belt; a standard Jedi tool. She improvised a hair pin into a nose clip, then just breathed through the filtered air.

"Sasuke?" she yelled out between breathes, reattaching the device every time she had to shout his name. There was no response, but she continued down the dark passageway anyway. She had pulled a mecha light orb from her belt upon entering, and the small droid floated near her, illuminating the area around her. She passed several cells, but all of them were unoccupied. She finally reached the end of the beaten, dirt path. Another stairwell loomed before her, leading back up to ground level. She stowed away her light and began her ascent.

Taking off her rebreather, she yelled out again, "Sasuke?" Her voice echoed throughout the corridors; it bounced around her until it finally faded away.

"Who's there?" A timid voice called, and Sakura's head snapped to attention. It wasn't Sasuke's voice but... maybe that person knew where he was? Or maybe it was just another enemy... And suddenly she was appalled with herself for thinking of Hinata as an enemy. But then again, Sakura couldn't forget what the Hyuuga had done on Corellia...

"My name is Sakura," she called out again, cautiously making her way towards the place where she thought he had heard the voice. "Who are you?"

There was a strange silence as Sakura continued to creep down the corridor. Then a voice spoke up. "Do you have pink hair?"

Sakura stopped in her tracks, startled. She wondered whether she should answer or not. "Yes, I do," she finally called out.

Then, a rustling sound echoed against the stone walls around the young Jedi Padawan. Gritting her teeth, Sakura dashed forward, skidding to a halt at a split in the path. To her left was nothing but a long hall with framed pictures and doorways. To her right was the heavy guy from before, carrying what looked like a naked... Sasuke?

"What are you doing?" she shrieked, her mind in a state of panic. She came here for Sasuke, and the first time she sees him in days is slung over some random guy's shoulder, naked? Oddly, only one thought popped into her mind before she rushed after the panicked Choji. _He better be unconcious!_

"Hey, come back here!" she called out, running after the large man. He was so fast, especially for his bulk!

Sakura soon rounded a corner, but the man and the would-be captive were nowhere in sight. Where could they have gone?

A drop of water fell, hitting Sakura square on the nose. She blinked. Then looked up. And promptly wish she hadn't

A red-faced Choji struggled to maintain his position, his limbs spread wide against the stone walls in the narrow corridor. A drenched Sasuke could be seen slumbering upon the big man's back. "Can't... Hold... Any... Agh!" To Sakura's horror, Choji's grip failed.

* * *

Tenten glanced at her employer, wondering for the first time what she should say. How does one cope with failure? She had no idea. She had never, _ever_, messed up a Bounty before. She had never reported failure. Therefore, she had no experience in this situation. So she had to state the obvious.

"I have failed." Tenten pondered the blue, fuzzy image of the young woman who had hired her. The hologram didn't do the woman's beauty justice, and Tenten could see Lee's admiring eyes stare intently at the Yuuhi. His ever present energy was on the verge of bursting forth, and Tenten didn't know how well that would go with their employer. "But I can try again, if you like."

"Of course we will try again, Ten!" cried her partner, who thrust a fist in the air. His muscle shirt and tight fitting pants were green, and sweat glistened his hardened body. He had just come from the training room on their most luxurious ship; used for long, interstellar travel. She would think him cute if it were not for his obnoxious bowl shaped haircut and his too-bushy eyebrows. But she still loved him as her best friend, despite his lack of aesthetic enthusiasm. "Our honor as Bounty Hunters are at stake! If we cannot complete the task by tomorrow, we will--"

"No, Lee, stop!" Tenten managed just in time to clamp a hand over her friend's mouth. Whenever he set goals, he made sure the consequences of not meeting those goals were infinitely worse. And when he had an objective and a punishment, he set his whole heart and mind on it. Tenten didn't feel like risking their necks once more to deal with the best Jedi in the Universe, who happened to have thousands of reinforcements. Even with Tenten's unnatural ability with any propelled object, and Lee's supreme skills with a Force Pike, they could not defeat an army of Jedi.

Even discussing her failure was redundant. She had given a brief message to the Yuuhi woman through her datapad back when they were escaping from Coruscant, but it had never been made official and terms were still to be discussed.

"No, trying again will not be necessary," the lackluster reply came, making Tenten observe the woman more carefully. There was something about that posture.. was it defeated? Resigned? Depressed? Tenten couldn't tell, and it wasn't her business to know. It was time to discuss monetary matters.

"Of course, the retainer you paid is nonrefundable." Tenten remarked with an air of indifference, though it did matter quite a lot to her. It had been a huge amount of money, due to the target and risk factor. If this woman objected... it was possible Tenten would have to add another to her hit list.

"Of course." Kurenai's glazed over look did nothing to satiate Tenten's desire to understand her.

What was wrong with this person? Did she not understand how disgustingly large Tenten's fee had been? In reality, Tenten had just made the figure up, thinking it would be impossibly high, just so she could say she had never refused a mission. Yet, the woman had agreed without a second thought. And now, here they were, face to face (sort of) and there was something exceedingly different.

"What is the matter? If there is anything you want, just ask it and we shall use every tool in our youthful arsenal to--" Lee was suddenly interrupted by a Tenten putting him in a headlock. As he struggled to breathe, Tenten smiled warmly at their employer.

"What my friend means to say is: is there any other target you have in mind? The retainer alone makes me feel a little guilty, nevermind my first miss. Anyone at all you would like to never see again?"

At this, the woman perked up. A flame sparked behind her eyes, and she suddenly stood up from her seat.

* * *

Kurenai stared dully at the hologram image of the two wrestling Bounty Hunters. It would have been amusing, borderline cute if she had been in a better mood. They were still young; still enjoying their lives. Unlike Kurenai herself.

"--Anyone at all you would like to never see again?" the hopeful voice of the younger woman came, and Kurenai could hear the desire to prove oneself.

With a jolt, Kurenai rose from herself, overcome with memories. Energy rushed through her body; adrenalin pumped through her veins. She had only seen the man once, yet he had ruined her entire life. She felt almost giddy with excitement. Could these two do it? Could they exact the revenge she needed so badly? She threw away her sense of hypocrisy: she just didn't care anymore.

"Kyuubi Uzumaki. Kill that bastard, and you will have more than earned your retainer." Kurenai saw the flash of excitement cross the duo's respective faces. They were eager to take down such a fierce adversary. She ended the transmission, then slowly sunk back into her seat.

She looked down at the terminals below her own Captain's Chair, feeling nostalgic as she remembered how her former Padawans had sat there on every trip. They babbled about the Order, Force techniques, lightsaber combat. It had been her family. And it was all ripped away when Kyuubi had decided he need an apprentice to corrupt and warp until they were nearly unrecognizable.

Anger flooded the Yuuhi's body. She only wished she had the skill to take the man down herself.

* * *

Naruto's datapad began beeping halfway through the argument, and he pulled it from it's attached place on his belt. It was a durable little thing, meant to stand the trials of even the most active Jedi. But, sadly, Naruto's ventures were getting to the point where it couldn't handle it anymore. The screen was cracked, but still functional, and it was severely dented. Naruto pulled himself from the group, which had finally established that Hinata and Neji were in charge. Shikamaru and Ino were crouched, grudgingly, at their feet, disarmed.

Naruto managed to slip away, rushing outside into the clear air. It was a transmission from Anakin.

"Naruto, where are you?" Skywalker's voice demanded. He sounded worried. "Are you all right?"

Naruto nodded. Then he remembered it wasn't a hologram conversation, and quickly answered verbally. "Yes. I'm... ah... on a planet in the Getsuei system. The black matter is gone without a trace." It was mostly true; the darkness _was_ gone. But, Naruto was fairly sure it was absorbed by Hinata.

"Well, the Council has been grilling me about letting you go off alone. I tried to tell them it was your own personal mission, given to you by _them_. I told them you had to see it through; but this may not help the matter much. They know you're in the Getsuei system, and know that it's the old home world of the Hyuugas. I'd stake my right hand that there's a company of Jedi on their way right now."

"Thanks for the warning. I'll wrap things up here." Naruto was very grateful to his friend, and he hated to lie to him. But, it was dangerous to speak of anything too specific in these kinds of communications.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah, Anakin?"

"Don't do anything stupid."

"Yes, Master Skywalker," Naruto said, trying his hardest to convey his sarcasm clearly.

"I'll see you back on Coruscant, right?"

"Of course." And with that, Naruto ended the conversation. There was work to be done.

* * *

"Ohhhh," moaned Sakura, sitting upright and rubbing her head. She winced at the contact. Gingerly, Sakura ran a finger over a very large knot at the base of her skull. With a sigh, she looked around the desolate corridor. No sign of the beefy intruder who stole Sasuke.

Struggling to her feet, Sakura had to lean heavily against the stone wall. Her legs felt really weak and bruised and her side pulsed with an angry throb every time her heart beat. Grimacing, Sakura limped down the length of the hallway until she came back to the intersection. It was a long, troublesome trek back to the Throne Room. but when she entered, she finally found Sasuke. This time, he had clothes.

"Sasuke!" Sakura squeaked, relief flooding her body. Forgetting her injuries, she rushed to his side. He was slumped against the back of the throne, clothed in a long brown robe. "Are you alright?"

"Sakura..." he moaned weakly, lifting his head ever so slightly. One eyelid crept open. "He... he..."

"Yes...?" Sakura whispered.

"...bathed me," and then his head fell back down, his chin resting against his chest. Sakura stared at the top of his freshly washed head, his hair just beginning to dry and slowly take it's usual, persistent shape.

With difficulty, Sakura took a stand. Peeking around the stone chair, she looked upon a scene that was so drastically different than what she had witnessed not half an hour ago. Naruto and Hinata stood next to each other, Naruto's hand wrapped around the Hyuuga's waist. Neji stood protectively behind Hinata, and the little one, Hanabi?, crouched behind Hinata, her visible hand grasping a fistful of Hinata's tattered pants. There were the three assailants from earlier standing before them, speaking emphatically.

* * *

"It's _you_ two that has the Galaxy in an uproar?" Ino said, her mouth agape.

Naruto blinked and Hinata shrugged.

"You don't know?" Shikamaru asked, his eyebrow arching in disbelief.

"It's the most repeated tale in any system for a thousand parsecs!" Choji cried.

"Okay, okay. What is going on?" Naruto demanded.

"The Jedi and the Sith, two star-crossed lovers! It's so romantic," Ino gushed.

Shikamaru nodded begrudgingly,"Though the versions tend to get exaggerated. I mean, one actually entails the two fighting _against_ one another, the fate of the planet depending on the outcome."

"But the girl, not wanting to fight the Hero any longer, tackles him," Ino continued, her eyes bright.

"And she wishes him a happy birthday; the guy didn't even know!" Choji laughed. Naruto's mouth twitched.

"And so," Shikamaru jumped in, "she kisses him."

"And the entire city explodes!" Ino concludes, throwing her arms wide for dramatic effect, her smile absolutely stunning. Shikamaru's heart skipped a beat at her flamboyant attitude; how he loved seeing her like this.

"I do like a good story," Naruto replied wryly. He couldn't believe how accurate that the story was. How were these details getting out into the public? Who had seen them fighting on Corellia?

"Of course," Ino laughed, bringing her arms back down, "it's just a tall tale. But, how wonderful it really sounds!"

"And the one about the Hyperspace Battle?" Shikamaru grinned, making Ino laugh. "That one is just as fantastical. Have you guys heard it? What am I saying, of course you haven't. You didn't even know!"

Naruto's insides froze now. Something was wrong. How did _anyone_ know about the hyperspace battle? He hadn't told a soul. Even so, he had no reason to suspect Hinata. There would be no gain for her to tell anyone.

"Can you believe the story went on to detail a long space battle that ended with you two stranded on a desolate planet?" Choji said, happily. These three seemed to be fervent followers of these 'tales.'

"And the Hero protected the unconscious Sith from a fellow Jedi!" Ino burst forth, her excitement throwing out any reluctance she might have had to speak with someone she had just battled with not very long ago. "He even wounded the poor man, all for the sake of his love."

"And if making a space battle wasn't dramatic enough, more Sith came to take the girl away," Shikamaru put in.

"And the Hero stood and fought valiantly," Choji said, admiringly. Naruto could see it was apparent that the three didn't believe a single bit of the stories to be true, but he was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable anyway.

"But he lost anyway," Ino added sadly. There were actual_ tears_ at the corners of her eyes.

"And that was the last we heard of the Forbidden Love tales," Shikamaru stated glumly.

Hinata smiled then. "Forbidden Love tales, huh? How does that sound to you, Naruto?"

"Fairly accurate, actually," Naruto laughed. Now that he was here, beside Hinata, he didn't know what was going to happen with him anymore. He had been so sure of his path until he had entered this place. Now, anything seemed possible. Life was about choices, though. And Naruto, despite being raised to be a Jedi, had _made_ the choice to remain one. And if there was anything that Naruto was sure of, it was that he does _not _go back on his decisions. But for now... it wouldn't hurt to try and enjoy himself.

"Hinata-sama, please allow me to escort these three prisoners to the dungeon." Neji, always the master of eliciting the motions, despite never showing any, said. The three intruders, not including Naruto, went rigid.

"There's no need, Neji. I think we can trust them." Hinata said with a wave of her hand. Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji all simultaneously let out a sigh of relief. Neji, however, had a brief look of uncertainty flash across his features. "After all, I'm out to make friends. Not enemies." Though Hinata smiled sweetly, a hot flash of anger made the clouds in her eyes come back in full force. Yes, she was out to make friends. Friends that would help her _crush_ her enemies.

"Thank you, Lady Hinata," Shikamaru said, with an awkward bow. His two friends fallowed suit. Hinata nodded.

"I have to go change now; Naruto, would like some new clothes, too?"

Suddenly, Naruto felt a little self conscious to his state of dress. He scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. "Yeah, that would be great."

* * *

Sakura managed to half carry, half lead Sasuke out of a back entrance without being noticed. The trek from the castle to her ship wasn't very far, but she was exhausted by time she dropped Sasuke into a chair and plopped into her own pilot seat. It was a small, two man craft. She left her hyperspace ring in orbit, and would dock with it before flying back to Coruscant.

She wasn't sure of what she was going to do yet, but she knew one thing: after this day, she no longer wanted to be Hinata's friend. She was too far gone for Sakura to reach now, and the Haruno accepted that with a sad ache in her heart. Her former best friend had destroyed a whole planet, locked up her Sasuke for days in despicable conditions, and now... Now she had tried to force Sakura into joining her! If that meant that Sakura was to become a Sith, then she had made up her mind from the start.

Back when Hinata had 'asked' Sakura, something had broken in the Haruno girl. It was her bond with Hinata; it was just shattered, painful fragments lingering on the outskirts of Sakura's mind now.

"The Universe would be better without you," she whispered, her craft whining to life. The motor droned softly as they sped through the atmosphere, homing in on the hyperspace ring.

Sakura knew now what she had to do when she got back to Coruscant. She had to report the location of the second most wanted Sith: Hinata Hyuuga. But what was left of her feelings towards the other girl allowed her one small reprieve. She would wait until she was before the Council to report the news in person. She didn't know if her resolve could bare being in the same system as Hinata when she was destroyed.

* * *

Hinata led Naruto, by hand, into her room. She left Hanabi with Neji to take care of. "I was really impressed with how well Neji and his father took care of the castle for so long."

Naruto smiled, enjoying Hinata's high spirits. He didn't want to say anything, for fear of bringing up a topic that was Taboo. For fear of bringing their differences to light once more.

"Stay here. I'll be just a sec!" She darted off to the bathroom, leaving Naruto alone in the master bedroom.

Taking a look around, Naruto agreed that it had been taken care of pretty well. The down feather bed was comfortable feeling as he pressed his palm into it. It was quite large; the wooden posts at the corners had a glossy look, with designs carved into them. Hyuuga tapestries adorned the walls, and a large, arched window, which let in the soft blaze of the red sun, which was just beginning to set. It cast a lovely color on the cyan interior of the room, and Naruto was pleased with the warmth of the dwarf star.

"Naruto..." came a silky soft voice, causing the Jedi to turn around. There, in the doorway, stood Hinata in a long, transparent lavender lingerie. Underneath was a frilly black bra that covered her ample bust, as well as matching panties.

"H-hinata?" Naruto gulped, his pulse pounding inside his head. The Hyuuga stalked forward, a determined smile playing on her soft, pink lips. Naruto stood stock still as she gently laid a palm on his chest, her body pressing up firmly against his. Her face turned up, her lips inching closer to his as she stood on the tips of her toes to reach. Then she grinned, pushing him backward onto the bed.

Naruto yelped, half in surprise, half in protest to her teasing. He landed with his arms splayed above his head on either side of him. Just as he raised his head to look at her, she was atop him, straddling his waist. She leaned forward, her hands placed upon each of Naruto's forearms. Her seductive smile lingered just above his face, and Naruto finally pushed his head forward and kissed her. She kissed him back with equal enthusiasm, opening her mouth slightly.

Naruto was very conscious of the tightness in his ripped pants, especially with Hinata's now rocking hips. Despite himself, Naruto moaned into the kiss, breaking it off for air. She grinned down at him, her hips still grinding slowly. Naruto stared into her eyes, enjoying the return of the full lavender color that blazed with the fire of the sun that shone through the window.

Managing to free his hand, Naruto wrapped it around Hinata's waist and flipped her over. Now that he was on top, Hinata giggled up at him. Naruto trailed kisses down her neck, enjoying the little gasps she made. His hungry mouth eventually found its way back to her mouth, and he besieged it with a starved ferocity. Naruto's hands fumbled as he managed to remove the lingerie, eventually moving to the clasps at Hinata's back, releasing the bra's hold on Hinata's breasts.

Naruto's mouth immediately moved to her erect nipples, his tongue making smooth circles around the soft nodes of flesh. As Naruto's left hand cupped the unoccupied breast, his other hand trailed down her smooth stomach, into her panties. For the rest of the night, the music of Hinata's moans played in Naruto's ears. She was the center of his universe; there was nothing in his mind but her.

When the ambient light of morning filled the room, Naruto awoke with a sense of peace. There was something immensely right with a naked Hinata curled up next to him, under the soft cover of the furry blanket. He was staring down at her flawless face when her eyelids fluttered open, the clouds back behind her lavender lenses, but not in full force. Her eyes locked with his, and a moment of unspoken affection passed through them. Until Hinata put it into words.

"I love you, Naruto," she whispered. Naruto froze, not knowing if he would be able to say it. He knew he _felt_ it, but could he actually put it into words? Was it that easy? He saw the hurt forming on her face after he didn't answer immediately, but he only smiled reassuringly.

"I love you, too, Hina."

* * *

**Whew, all done. This one was the longest chapter since chapter twelve, even if not by much. It was also more than a bit harder to write. Sorry for the wait, but all the fluffy parts were just for you! **

**This was a bit of a satirical chapter, mostly at my own expense. But also a bit of a recap, as well, to jog your memories. And sorry for my excessive use of 'bit.' **

**Drop a review and make a poor Author happy! Thanks for reading.**


	18. Confusion

All was silent as Naruto's left eye creaked open, with much pain. Attempting to lick his lips, he found out just how dry his mouth was as a thirst for liquid became his foremost thought and feeling. "Where am I?" he croaked, trying to see his surroundings through the small opening of his eyelids. Every inch of his body ached, and he nearly retched as a fresh wave of agony overcame him. Flipping over pathetically, Naruto crawled along the rocky terrain in search of some sort of sustenance.

All that the Jedi could remember was the amazing night he shared with Hinata. He had woken up, told her he loved her, then… then... what? What happened between then and now? A trickle of a stream caught the Uzumaki's attention, driving out any curiosity he had had a moment ago. The rate of his crawling was nearly imperceptible, but after much difficulty he came to the moist bank of a small, flowing body of water. Without a moment's hesitation, Naruto plunged his aching head into the water, parched mouth wide open.

Despite his lips now being split from the sudden transition from closed to open, Naruto drank deeply from the stream. He finally pulled out, coughing and sputtering, water stinging his nasal cavity. He rolled onto his back and let his hair flow freely in the current. The cool water began to revitalize his mind and body, yet no memories explained his current situation. The clouds high above him lazed about in the dark red sky, the dwarf star burning dully. This led him to believe he was still on Hinata's planet, in the Getsuei system. Through his only working eye, Naruto observed his surroundings. Nothing about this environment seemed familiar; this planet was lush with vegetation and had an abundance of wildlife. However… what he saw now was much different.

The landscape was barren, scattered with stones and pebbles, sometimes even chunks of what seemed to be debris from maybe a building. But… how strange. From what Naruto could make out, the forest surrounded this wide area of destitution. Naruto, having exhausted his energy, laid his head back into the stream and soon fell asleep.

When he awoke, it was nighttime. As a cool breeze passed over him and he shivered it was only then that he realized he was naked. Drinking more from the stream, Naruto finally summoned enough energy to sit up. He felt hollow; as if something were missing inside him. Feeling weak, he subconsciously reached out for the Force for a burst of power… and was given none. Confused, Naruto now concentrated hard on summoning the Force, but to no avail.

"What luck," he growled. "I'm stranded naked in the middle of nowhere, and I can't even concentrate enough to… to…" He sighed, drowning in his own despair. He had never, for as long as he lived, been this alone. The Force had always been with him. Where had it gone now? To think that it wouldn't come back was… unthinkable. It didn't even occur to Naruto that, perhaps, he had lost his gift.

Struggling to his feet, he was overcome with a fresh wave of loss. His utility belt was missing! He stumbled forward and splashed face first into the stream. Turning onto his back, the stream was not deep enough to prevent him from breathing. Naruto promptly fell back asleep.

It was a few hours later that Naruto was awakened to a tentative poking in his side. He grunted, still groggy from sleep. It took him a while to open his functioning eye, noting it was a bit easier this time, and he peered at the small girl who stared at him with wide eyes.

"Ohayou!" she chirped, her head tilted to the side. "Nihongo o hanashimasu ka?"

"Uh… Food. Please. Hungry…" Naruto moaned, pointing at his stomach.

Her face contorted into a look of confusion. "Nani?"

Naruto pantomimed as best he could his hunger, rubbing his stomach and weakly pretending to be eating some sort of fruit, taking big, emphatic bites of nothing out of his palm.

"Ah! Chotto matte kudasai!" With that outburst, she took off running, disappearing into the foliage. Naruto let his weak body rest in the gently flowing water, not even caring that he was naked. There was not enough energy left in him to care about much more than his hunger and pain.

For the most part, the pain had been a mere ache, a threatening beast hiding beneath the urgency of his hunger. But now that he was so inert, and able to pull his mind out of the dregs, the pain slowly and surely came on full force. It splashed against his resolve, eroding his will away to not show any outward indication of his discomfort. Especially if the little girl… Hanabi?... was going to return. She seemed to be alone, and he didn't want to worry her further with something she could not aid him with.

_If_ she came back. Naruto prided himself on knowing many languages, but the Hyuuga language is old and obsolete, only used in the Getsuei system. Basic was the standard language for the colonized and civilized territories, so not many bothered to learn the vernacular of many regions. It was arrogant, yes, but that is the Republic's pride and tragedy at the same time. To hold so much power, at such a long range, it was easy to forget the social and biological differences that species had to overcome. At least, it was for the multicultural metropolis that is Coruscant.

However, for Naruto it is a very different story. Growing up on the harsh terrain of Ilum, Naruto was raised around only Jedi and Initiates. The Temple mostly harbored humans, and only bipedal species, so similarities were in abundance. Also, as part of the rigorous curriculum of the Program each initiate had to complete on Ilum, one was forced to learn to adapt and learn quickly. Naruto knew more than thirty languages, and as many as fifty dialects. But, of course, none of these included the Hyuuga language.

And why would it? Kyuubi changed the planet for good when it wiped out the royal bloodline, save Hinata, who was to be a Jedi anyway. He put the entire planet in turmoil; a whole system of government vanished in a single night. First went the economy, then businesses and corporations. Soon, the Getsuei system was put under undeveloped status in the Republic's eyes. Many left, in search of a better life. Some stayed, trying to restore the planet. Still others turned to criminal affairs, and a slave trade began.

Naruto sighed. It eased his agony to go over every fact he knew of the Getsuei system, information he had learned while following the black cloud. He knew where he was heading, so he had gathered as much intel as he could from the Archives.

Squeezing his functioning eye shut tight, Naruto allowed himself a soft moan as his bones twisted inside him, his blood turning to fire. He heard a rustling noise and immediately masked his pain with a calm, relaxed visage. He filed away his extreme discomfort and turned his full attention to the small view his swollen eye allowed him.

"You're back," Naruto said, a small smile playing on his sore lips.

She paused before him, holding an armload of purple and green fruit. "Wakarimasen," she stated with a small shake of her head.

Naruto sighed. He really, _really_ wished he could remember what had happened now. But in his weakened state, all that his body could do was yearn for the food she was holding, his mouth salivating profusely. "Food?" he mumbled.

She nodded enthusiastically, dropping to her knees beside him. Her black clothes and shoes were dirty, but not worn or torn, so he decided she had not been in the middle of whatever conflict he had found himself in. Also, by recognizing the word 'food' proved she was a bright girl, since he had only mentioned the word once. She gently arranged the fruit in the stream, letting the water wash over them. Using the sand, she scrubbed the fruit clean, then rinsed once more. She stared at Naruto for a moment, a quizzical look on her face.

"Dozo," she told him, holding out a bright purple fruit. It was oval shaped with a crisscrossing pattern of soft lavender, the same color of Hinata's eyes… This thought brought a pang to Naruto's heart, and he wondered if she was okay.

Naruto lifted a hand, but was too weak to grip the fruit, letting his hand fall back into the water. He smiled sheepishly at the girl, and even wondered if he would have been able to take a bit from the fruit at all. He lay there looking at the girl, while she sat there and stared at him. Finally, she nodded to herself.

Taking a large bite from the purple fruit, she held the juicy flesh between her front teeth, and then took it into her hand. The skin was different from the pale green color of the meat of the fruit, but it was still the most appetizing thing Naruto could imagine. His stomach let out a growl of anticipation. She dangled it above Naruto's mouth, and he obligingly opened up to receive the food. It was difficult to chew, and very sweet, with a soft tangy flavor lurking at the edge of his tongue. Naruto closed his eye, concentrating on the taste as well as the effort to mash up the fruit before swallowing.

Finally, he let it slide down his throat with no further difficulty. When he peeked through his eyelids once more, he saw that another piece was waiting patiently for him. This went on for several minutes, until every fruit was gone, save one. He was too full to finish the last, so Hanabi sat there and munched happily on the green produce, smiling down at him. And, despite all the pain and misery in not being able to move or remember, he smiled back at her. _She's so young_, he thought to himself_, and so innocent and kind. Yet it is my father's fault she is parentless, save Hinata, and also… perhaps even here._

Could it be? Could Kyuubi have attacked, taken Hinata away, destroyed all that got in his way, and beat Naruto into the state that he was now in? It was certainly possible, even probable, since he was still alive.

She began to chatter endlessly in her own language, which Naruto was grateful for the conversation despite his lack of understanding. She emphasized with her hands a lot, even using the pit of the fruit she finished as a prop. She held it high above her head, talking quickly for a few short seconds before letting it drop. When it hit, she made an abrupt noise, throwing out her arms for effect. Naruto was almost certain she had simulated an explosion.

She eventually lay down beside Naruto, on the soft bank beside the stream, and spoke softly as she drifted off to sleep. Naruto watched her as her breathing became softer and more regular, and could understand why Hinata took this girl in. She symbolized everything Hinata had lost; innocence, family, and even childhood. This girl was what Hinata, perhaps, wished she had been. Clueless as to the affairs of Jedi and Sith, of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. A Hyuuga through and through.

Naruto turned his attention to the stars now. A full array of space stretched out before him, the twinkle of one star as insignificant as the rest. Yet, on one of the systems the stars comprised, perhaps there was someone straight across from him, thousands of light-years from where Naruto lay, looking at the sky, unknowingly in Naruto's direction?

It was this trail of thought that lead Naruto to analyze his own situation. He was lying in a cool stream, at night, completely naked and disabled. Due to his lineage on his father's side, his system was different than a human's. His immune system was stronger, and his heart beat faster. Also, his normal body temperature was naturally high, his body capable of keeping a homeostatic state in many undesirable environmental conditions, but not in the extreme climates.

Also, his body healed remarkably fast. Faster, usually, when he was connected with the Force, stimulating his Midi-chlorians to repair damage. However… that was just not possible at the moment. But with the new energy supply he had been given, his body would be breaking it down and quickly restoring use of his most vital abilities, such as seeing and moving.

There was nothing left to do now but sleep it off.

By morning, Naruto was able to open both his eyes, albeit with some difficulty. Even more satisfying to the Jedi was the ability to move once more, even shakily and slowly. Sitting up, Naruto splashed water into his face and drank from his cupped hands. The girl was no longer in sight, and Naruto had a brief moment of worry. However, this _is_ her home planet, so he dismissed the thought as paranoia.

After struggling to his feet, Naruto stepped out of the stream, able to stand up straight with some effort. He grinned, feeling great to be standing up once more. But each movement caused him pain, from the sharp stabs in his sides, to the dull throb in his head, to even the soft ache in his throat.

"Hanabi?" Naruto called out, his lungs aching from the extra work.

There was no reply, so Naruto stumbled and limped across the rocky clearing, still confused by the near perfect circle it made in the center of all these trees. Lumbering to the epicenter of this unusual field, Naruto found a shaft of metal poking up from the dirt. Slowly getting to his knees, Naruto managed to tug the object from the rocks. It was his lightsaber!

"Naruto!" howled a despairing voice, clearly Hinata's. The clarity of which he heard it made him start, immediately glancing around for the source. But he knew where it had come from… Inside his own head. A memory that he had forgotten? Or one he repressed? Or even something his mind fabricated in the attempt to connect all these strange clues together.

Yet, in the small hole the lightsaber was pulled from, glinted another shiny item. Naruto quickly excavated it; it was his utility belt and his mother's own blade. He blinked, confused. Yet, it did make sense that it would all be together. But where were his clothes? And why were these buried, in the first place?

And at that moment Naruto fell onto his rear, shocked at what was rushing back into his mind. No!

"Naruto!" Hinata giggled as his hand slid slowly up the back of her firm thigh, to grab a handful of hat sweet ass. "I see you're fully awake." She leaned into him, on her side, wrapping one leg around his own. They were both completely nude under the blanket, and their body heat alone made them sweat, filling the air with a musty scent.

"And ready for more," Naruto assented, kissing her mouth before she could reply. When they pulled apart, her face looked upon him with a warm glow, emanating the love she felt for him.

"Hinata-sama!" roared a voice from behind the wooden door, just before it crashed open. "Intruders!"

"Again?" Hinata seethed, disentangling herself from Naruto. She did a quick search for her clothes as Naruto hesitated, a bit more reluctant to jump out, naked, in front of this stranger. Especially with his arousal so evident. But he knew he could not sit idle, so he got up as well, back turned to Hinata's Guardian and grabbed his utility belt.

_Fump. Crack!_ Naruto whipped around, clipping the cold metal around his waist, ready to fight. Neji lay at the end of the bed on the floor, blood oozing from his head from where it connected with the corner poster. "Hello, little Naru! Oh, am I interrupting anything? Fu fu fu!"

"Orochimaru," Naruto growled, his hands gripping both lightsabers now, simultaneously extending them.

"Ah, so you remember me!" the Sith said, a maniacal grin spread across his face. "I'm so glad. Because I have not forgotten you. Not by a long shot!" He then tapped his metal legs with his lightsaber hilt, making _klink, klink, klink_ sound. "So what should I cut off of yours? Ah, that'll do nicely." He held out his lightsaber, which slid to its full length as he did so, to where it was pointing directly at Naruto's crotch.

"You bastard, what are you doing here?" screeched Hinata, who emerged from the bathroom in bra and panties, her own utility belt clipped around her waist. Both of her own lightsabers were activated and at the ready. She stood there looking at Orochimaru with a condescending gaze, her eyes dimming to their old, cloudy tint.

"Time to go back, my dear lady, Hina. Your master is very anxious to see you. And I must say, I'm quite disappointed with you, mingling with this Jedi scum."

At this point, Hinata noticed Neji's unconscious body and let out a terrible shriek, blurring as she charged at Orochimaru. However, she was caught around her midsection, her lightsabers flying from her hands and deactivating, being caught by a young man with silver-white hair. The large man that had grabbed Hinata had a dark skin tone, shown by his face which was the only unarmored part of his body.

"Let her go!" Naruto warned, poised to attack. He switched his lightsabers off, preparing to dodge and roll his way to Hinata.

"Oh, little Naru, did they not teach you to count on Ilum? There are three of us, and one of you. It is time to accept your fate… and die!" Orochimaru's red blade sizzled over Naruto's head as the Uzumaki rolled under the attack, springing upward at the large man, lightsabers extended once more. But the man lurched back, the white haired guy taking his place.

It was all Naruto could do for the next few seconds to dodge the violent, crazy fast attacks. There was no time to parry or retaliate, especially so since he had to monitor Orochimaru, as well as the man who was beginning to carry off Hinata. She kicked and screamed, and even used the Force, but the man was too strong for her to overcome. With a final blast of Force power before she disappeared from the room, Hinata had blown over Orochimaru, who had tried to sneak up behind Naruto.

Sidestepping a vertical slash, Naruto grabbed the young man's lightsaber wielding arm by the wrist and head butted him straight in the nose. He stumbled backwards, blood gushing from the crushed mound of flesh. Not even bothering to finish him off, Naruto sped from the room and down the corridor, following Hinata's frantic yelling. He was eventually led into the Throne Room, where a struggle was evident. The three from the previous night lay about, semi-conscious, no discernible permanent damage. But there was the large man, already at the exit!

Gathering all the Force he could muster, Naruto screamed "Grab Neji and Hanabi get out of here!" then soared across the room in a single bound, crashing into the damp soil outside, kicking up a cloud of dust. Not waiting for the air to clear up, Naruto accelerated towards her voice once more, and emerged from the cloud- to be met by a rock hard fist in the face. The jarring halt of motion disoriented Naruto more than the actual hit, until he was lifted off his feet and sent several meters backwards. He hit the ground rolling, his right eye completely sealed and swollen instantly, and it felt like half his face was caved in.

Clipping his weapons to his belt to prepare for an all out run, Naruto was unprepared for the attack from behind. The thrum of an arcing lightsaber alerted him to the danger, allowing him to twist and pivot in the nick of time as a red blade sunk into the ground, but before he could recover from his state of momentum, he was kicked hard in the chest by a booted, meat leg, indicating it was the young man from before.

Naruto fell to the dirt, breath completely empty from his lungs, and to make it worse the tip of a lightsaber was no more than an inch away from his neck.

"Kyuubi does not wish for us to kill him," the young man muttered.

"I know," said Orochimaru carelessly. Naruto could see his mind was made up.

"We have to get the girl out _now_." The man continued.

"I know," Orochimaru replied, indicating he didn't care.

"You'll obey orders… or else."

At this Orochimaru eyed his partner, sizing him up. He opened his mouth to say something, but only shook his head. He looked down at Naruto and grinned that terrible grin. "Not directly, anyway. Hmm."

Orochimaru licked his lips, relishing in his absolute power of Naruto at this moment. "We have your girl, Naru. We have your dignity, your honor, your _life_. I'll show mercy and restore one of these things to you." Yet his voice was mocking as he moved away his lightsaber's tip. "Catch us if you can. Let's go, Kabuto."

And they were both sprinting away now. Instantly Naruto was up and running, pumping his legs and arms as fast as the Force and his own muscles would allow. He crashed through underbrush and vegetation until he came to a burned out landing site, just as a ship began to lift, its loading ramp still open! He launched himself up at it, catching the edge of the metal slab with his hands, quickly pulling himself up.

In front of him stood a smirking Orochimaru and the same, solemn young white-haired man. Seemingly named Kabuto."You're so foolish, little Naru."

"Give me back Hinata!" Naruto cried, readying his body for a conflict.

"Just wait a minute. Can you not remember the Throne Room? Or even that filth that came into the room to warn you, instead of staying to fight like the other three? Why did we not kill them?"

"To hold them hostage against Hinata," Naruto said, disgusted.

"No, you see, that would be diabolical. We are not so clever as that. In fact, all three of us love killing, and would not spare such weaklings. That's why we plan to blow the whole place to hell!" at this, Orochimaru's smirk turned into a wicked grin. "The clock is ticking; save Hinata, or save the others."

Many things flashed through Naruto's mind at this point; attack or jump while he could, hopefully in time to save the others, and even the thought that maybe his desperate shouting for the three in the Throne Room to retrieve Neji and leave would suffice. He decided that Hinata was more important to him than strangers, despite this not being the Jedi way. So he lunged forward, lightsabers flashing in spasmodic, unpredictable movement, successfully keeping his two enemies at bay.

A chance revealed itself to Naruto in the form of Orochimaru's sidestepping his attack, leaving the young man wide open. As the snake Sith's counterattack sizzled a hairsbreadth away from Naruto's neck, on his blind side, the Uzumaki was able to direct both his lightsabers into a vicious diagonal slash at his other adversary. The moment Kabuto leapt from Naruto's improvised assault, the Uzumaki rushed for the sealed passageway at the other end of the hull. Just before he reached it, it slid open, a large man charging through it. The attack was so fast, Naruto had no chance to duck under the clothes-line strike, causing the Jedi to do a complete backward 360-degree flip before landing on his face.

Naruto lay there, coughing, his throat raw and seemingly closing up. He forced himself to relax his muscles enough to get a breath into his lungs, before he was lifted bodily by the back of his neck. Breathing was now only a fantasy, brushing against the hard reality of the death grip the man had on him.

"So this is the runt that caused you so much trouble, Oro? I think it's time we tossed him overboard-o!" The dark skinned man rhymed as he maneuvered Naruto's limp body into a Full Nelson hold, shuffling backwards to the still open loading ramp.

Naruto's vision blurred, as he had not been able to take a breath during the whole process. He found himself looking out over the green land, the stone structure of the castle just in sight.

"It's been a long time coming, Naruto. Ever since the Republic assigned you the mission to capture me nearly four years ago, your fate has been sealed." Orochimaru's voice was somber, almost sad. The big man turned Naruto to face the speaking Sith. "It does pain me, though, when I think of all the potential you have shown. So much that, had things been different, I firmly believe that the Black Sun would be stronger than ever with you and I as its leaders. Perhaps even a force to be considered in an alliance in this war. But as it stands… here we are. I, with my shiny new legs, and you… naked as when you were born, hovering hundreds of feet in the air before your execution. I have enough mercy in me to ask for your last words, thoughts, even request. Make it quick."

There was just enough fight left in Naruto's battered body for him to lift his head and glare into the eyes of the man who had been his nemesis for so long. He stared into those slit-pupil eyes for several seconds, observing the purple shadows that lingered beneath his eyes atop marble-white skin. "There is no Death; there is only the Force." Orochimaru seemed amused that Naruto had quoted part of the Jedi Code to him, but when he heard a shout of rage and the shriek of twisting metal his smirk disappeared.

Hinata stood at the entranceway to the rest of the ship, breathing hard, her head slumped forward with her hair covering her face. She was still only clothed in her simple bra and panties, but her lightsabers and utility belt were nowhere in sight.

"What? The drugs are not working on her!" the man holding Naruto shouted. "Or too slowly, one can infer!"

"This is not the time to be rapping, Kirabi! Throw Naruto overboard so we can get this over with." Orochimaru commanded, stalking closer to Hinata. It was then that the Hyuuga princess's half-lidded eyes opened wide, her face lifted up and her gaze connected with Naruto's.

Through the Force, Naruto could feel her terrible confusion from the mess of drugs clouding her brain, but he could also feel the incredible power that gathered within her. She was unarmed, and her body was beginning to fail her. The power began to trickle away… And then Naruto was hoisted into the air, over the brute's head.

"Naruto!" Hinata cried, a wave of Force power shaking the ship, slamming the two Sith who were running at her to the floor. The huge man that had an iron grip on Naruto was unfazed. The explosion of energy was too much for Hinata's body, which was now quickly shutting down from the toxic cocktail she was no doubt given. Falling forward, her face managed to keep at an angle that Naruto's gaze never left her own stare. And in a split second, the ship was falling away from him.

The air whistled in his ears, his foggy brain screaming for him to do something. And then the power took him over once more; the Force flooded his body, supercharging every fiber of his being. A sphere of Force power began to circle him, the translucent energy just barely visible as it thickened and reflected sunlight. Naruto never even touched the ground before the world exploded around him.

It started as a thrum, then transcended every frequency, vibrating matter and matching the resonance of the very atoms in its blast radius; the bomb erupted upward, bubbling up into a storm of disassembling substance. It's range was expertly calculated, it's diameter forming a perfect circle.

Inside his sphere of protection, Naruto's shouts were drowned out by the all consuming noise of the detonation. The energy picked away at Naruto's shielding, corroding the only defense between his naked body and the destruction of the outside. The unbearable clamor that the bomb made caused Naruto to remove his utility belt from his waist and wrap it around his head in the desperate attempt to block it out.

Finally, Naruto's sphere wavered and imploded, and all went black.

Naruto kneeled on all four of his limbs, shaking. His body was sweating profusely. As he remembered, he had entered a state of mind that forced him to relive the awful memory with great detail and clarity.

"Hinata…" Naruto whispered, staring at the ground with blank eyes. Why had this happened? His day with Hinata was the greatest day in his life, and now… now what? She was gone from him once more, off to someplace unknown as he was currently unable to pursue.

"I've got to contact Anakin… he'd know what to do." Naruto thought, yet, he knew he could not bring his friend into this. This would only cause trouble for the man, who was trying to keep his own personal relationships a secret.

"Naruto-san! O genki desu ka?" Hanabi shouted as she ran up to his side, her face stricken with worry. Naruto looked up at her from his place in the dirt. And laughed. In spite of himself, he laughed.

In a world where his love was kidnapped, his body severely beaten, and even his nudity over the course of perhaps several days, there was a small girl worried for _him_. She had no parents, and the one who would have liked very much to be her mother is gone… She had no money, no ship, nothing. But she was worried for _him_, and this touched him very deeply. And it made him laugh, until he finally fell onto his back, careless, laughing and laughing and laughing.

What a world, what a world.

**I liked this one very much. I was able to work with Hanabi's character more than I have in any other chapter, and perhaps even the same can be said with the other characters, in some small way. I tried to balance the character building with the action, and I hope I have accomplished this.**

**Drop me a review and tell me what you like/dislike. Feel free to ask me any question, and I'll probably have an answer for it soon.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	19. Parasites?

Shikamaru prodded the blonde Jedi in the ribs sharply, after attempting to wake her up for the past half hour. She immediately jerked awake, sitting up in the small bed that hung from the wall.

"Hey… 's that for?" she slurred drowsily.

"For being troublesome," Shikamaru sighed, standing. Chouji chomped on some food they had stored in their ship, which is where they now resided.

The Nara glanced behind him at the slumbering Neji, who had not awakened since they retrieved him. Over the past several days they had watched over him, making sure he was given enough substance to stay in good health. But whatever was wrong with him required actual medical attention, and that was something they were in short supply of.

"What will we do today, Shika?" Ino asked, rubbing her eyes. "Will we look for that little girl?"

"We have no intel about this planet, and the EMP from the bomb knocked out our power supply and communications. If we run into trouble because of our lack of knowledge, I'll never forgive myself." Shikamaru glanced wearily at his lightsaber. He didn't want to kill natives because he suddenly treaded upon some sort of sacred burial ground. It had happened to more prepared men.

"Then will we just sit here for the rest of our lives?" Ino complained, slouching back into her bed.

"No. We're going to fix the ship. We just need to find a city first." Shikamaru glanced out of the viewport from the control center, checking to make sure there wasn't a huge beast outside waiting for him… like yesterday. "I'm going to make a map of this area. Stay here and watch over Neji."

Shikamaru left the ship as quickly as he could, fearing any further complaints from the blonde tyrant. She could be quite irritable if she wanted to.

Shikamaru took a deep breath, looked around, then set out into the thick forest.

* * *

Naruto stared dully at his feet. They were cracked and blistered from continuous use and abuse. Sighing, Naruto scratched at his head in frustration. He _still_ could not call upon the power of the Force.

"Nani?" Hanabi inquired, staring up at the blond Jedi. Naruto stared openly at her for a moment then continued moving along her side. He was hoping that she knew where she was going. She blabbered endlessly to him in her language, sometimes throwing in a few Basic words into the mix to try and convey her meaning… It was a futile gesture. Words like 'yes' and 'no' weren't very descriptive at all, yet Naruto just nodded and walked, smiling as if he understood her.

Half an hour went by before they saw any sign of intelligent life. "Hey, what's that?" Naruto pointed at a mass conglomeration of wooden planks and metal nails. It spanned across the top of several large trees, with various lengths of rope hanging here and there.

She glanced around nervously, biting her lower lip. "Watashi to issho ni kite kudasai!" She grabbed Naruto's hand, pulling him into the shade of a tree several yards away from the structure.

She stared seriously at him for a moment, and then spoke in her tongue rapidly, her eyes burning with intent. Naruto blinked, confused.

Sighing, Naruto said "I don't understand you."

She stamped one foot then pointed at her chest. Seeing that Naruto still did not understand, she grabbed a fistful of her shirt and tugged.

"Oh! Clothes? From that place?" Naruto, for the millionth time that day, felt a wave of embarrassment. He had been forced to walk around naked, save his belt, for nearly three days now. Hanabi didn't seem to care or even notice, which was the only thing that made him feel better.

The Hyuuga girl nodded vigorously, peeking around the tree at the shack positioned nearly fifty feet in the air. He didn't understand why she was being so cautious. He was a _Jedi_… despite not being able to call upon the force. Naruto peeked over her head, trying to make out any signs of habitation. Seeing nothing, he stepped around her and strode confidently towards the building, if that was not too strong a word for the makeshift construct.

"I am Naruto Uzumaki," he called out, "Jedi of the Republic. If there is anyone in there, I require assistance." All was silent. "I'm coming up." Naruto made for the closest tree holding the shack up, only for his reflexes to kick in, snapping on his lightsaber to deflect a bolt of plasma.

Naruto spun in the direction that the blasterfire had come from, just in time to defend himself. With a sharp _crack_, a black, metal linked whip wrapped around Naruto's lightsaber. Naruto gritted his teeth, digging his feet into the soft dirt.

"It's your atrocious misfortune that has led to this encounter," a dark, menacing voice spoke. "I do so _despise_ Jedi."

Naruto glanced up at the figure nearly six feet away from him. A long, dark gray collar hid the man's face, and large, black sunglasses concealed his eyes. His dark brown hair jutted out unevenly from his light gray hood. "Who the hell are you?" Naruto seethed. He did _not_ like being attacked from behind.

"What I am called is irrelevant, as you will cease to exist momentarily." His voice stayed in the same tone as before, never rising or going any lower, calm and clear. With a twitch of his wrist, the whip he held coiled at his feet. "I am curious as to your nudity, however, and therefore will take a brief moment to inquire about the abnormality of your attire, or lack thereof. Explain."

"How about we just put away our weapons, all right? We can talk this over, have a few laughs, and even get me dressed. Sound good to you?" Naruto gave the man an easy smile, though he did not lower his own weapon. That whip was too dangerous; its metal must have a layer of cortosis.

"No." With one fluid motion of his arm, a shockwave ran through the length of the whip, until it reached the end where it made a sharp snapping sound. Twirling it masterfully around his body, the hooded man cocked his head to the side. The whip suddenly turned bright green, its speed increasing until it seemed as if the man was shielded behind some sort of transparent, green barrier. "Now die." And the whip lashed out, too quick for Naruto's eyes to track, but too slow for his reflexes to not take over. The Uzumaki ducked under the hum of the lightwip, which sliced into the ground before pulling back for a second attack. Naruto rolled forward, extending his blade upon righting himself. But the man was gone.

A slight buzzing noise alerted him in the nick of time to lie flat, the whip grazing mere inches above his head. With his weapon deactivated, Naruto rolled over on his side several times, the whip lashing away at the ground where he had been previously on each roll. Instinct made him stop suddenly, just before the whip cracked where he had _almost_ rolled to. As it pulled back once more, Naruto was instantly on his feet, making a mad dash for the nearest tree.

Several cracks emanated from behind him as he ran, but he didn't dare look back and slow his progress. With a single leap, Naruto clutched onto the tree with his bare hands and feet, maneuvering up its length as fast as possible. Several deep cuts wounded the trunk as the whip slashed away, attempting to sever Naruto in half. He was finally high enough to be out of reach, a safe fifteen feet up.

"Truce?" Naruto called out desperately.

"Never." It was a cold reply, and Naruto looked down to see the man pull a blaster out from under his coat. Gnashing his teeth in frustration, Naruto called upon the Force with all his will and sprung out from the tree. The Force power filled him up then, rejuvenating his every aching muscle, revitalizing his sore body.

Flipping in mid air, Naruto deflected the blasterfire, hit feet first against another tree, then leapt with all his might and Force power up at the suspended shack. A near thirty foot distance, it seemed like a eternity before he smashed through a feeble wall, blaster bolts blazing behind him. Rolling to his feet, Naruto took his surroundings in. What he saw made his jaw drop.

The large hole that he had made upon his crash landing had destroyed a panorama of bugs of every type, many of them were of a class that Naruto had never even seen. Looking around, Naruto noted that many insects were still living. Some resided in large aquariums, others in netted cages. Still more were pinned along the walls, labeled and organized. Research notebooks and journals lay across a table to his right, and sketches of the most amazing bugs Naruto had ever seen were strewn everywhere, seemingly dislodged from their original places by Naruto's entrance.

"Wow," Naruto breathed out, amazed.

"Get out," a quiet whisper came from the only doorway. Naruto spun around, activating his blade, preparing for a fight. But the man didn't attack.

"What is all this?"

"I said get out."

"Did you do all of this?"

"Out."

"Listen, I just need your help! Why are you being so irrational?"

"Get OUT!" The man roared, his face contorting into an angry snarl. He said those words with such energy that his sunglasses flew from his face, landing on the mismatched planks that made up the floor. His eyes were bloodshot, dark purple bags hanging under them. His pupils were dilated.

"What's wrong? I can help." Naruto put away his lightsaber, showing his willingness to help out a fellow person.

"No. No, you can't." The man slumped to the floor, wheezing. He looked up at Naruto with a visage of pure hatred. "You are just another fool, living a fool's life." He leaned over and retrieved his glasses from the floor.

Naruto cautiously made his way to the man, seeing he was much younger than he had assumed. He looked to be about Naruto's own age. He crouched down, feeling a little self conscious at still being nude. "In my experience, those who do not want help are those who are most in need of it."

The hooded figured shook his head, leaning heavily against the wall he was propped against. "I didn't say I didn't want help. In fact, that is what I most desire. However, what I did say was that you are unable to help me. No one can." Taking long, deep breathes, he closed his eyes. He stayed like this for several moments, until Naruto thought he was asleep. His eyes snapped open then, and Naruto recoiled in surprise. "Over there, by that simulated habitat, do you see the vial and hypodermic needle? Bring them to me."

Naruto stood and turned around, seeing the said items by a heated cage containing seemingly nothing. He grabbed the needle and vial, which contained a clear, gel-like liquid. He brought it to the man.

"I will answer the first question you posed to me. I am Shino Aburame. And for what I am doing, I am trying to find a cure." His voice was weak, yet it was still of a consistent tone and clarity. He pulled a length of rubber from an internal coat pocket and wrapped it around his bicep, pulling on it with his teeth. He tapped at his veins in his upper arm for a moment, before extracting the liquid into the needle. He squirted a small amount from the tip, tapped the excess off, then expertly inserted it into his arm. He few seconds passed as he closed his eyes, slowly injecting himself with the strange medicine. Finally pulling it out, he unwrapped his arm and tossed the needle into a waste bin across the room, the vial and rubber band disappearing beneath the cloak.

Shaking his head to clear it, Naruto blinked in surprise at why he had not asked the first question that had popped into his head. "A cure to what?"

Shino rubbed his eyes, which began to lose their red color, and looked Naruto full in the face. "To life."

Naruto sat down, frustrated. "Okay, you lost me."

"I'll tell you in later. First, you need to be more presentable. In the wardrobe in the next room, you'll find everything you need. I'm exhausted from our encounter; I must rest. But, please, I implore you. Don't break anything." With that, he passed out immediately. Naruto made his way into the next room, quickly dressing himself in the several shades of gray available. The long, near-black pants complimented his matching shoes, which were quite comfortable. He grabbed a matching coat, but he left it unbuttoned over the white undershirt.

He found a trapdoor, which led to a ladder down the main supporting tree. As he found his way to solid ground again, Naruto tried to absorb the many changes that had just occurred. He fought a man who hated him, who now tolerated him and clothed him. He even liked the guy, despite the attack from earlier. Now, his only objective was to find Hanabi and wait for Shino to awake.

"Hanabi? You there?" Naruto called out, glancing around at the large trees, wondering if she was hiding behind one of them. A dark blur collided with his chest, and he immediately wrapped his arms around the crying girl. She clamped onto him in a tight hug, and he hugged her back. "It's all right. Everything is fine." She sobbed into his chest, and he felt terrible for worrying her. Even more so, he felt terrible for leaving her alone and exposed like he had. He had been thoughtless, irresponsible. No longer was he watching out only for himself, but this little girl as well. "Shh. It's okay now."

She shook her head, sobbing. "Dooshite kore o shita no?" Naruto could feel the pain of her words, knowing he had worried her. He just hugged her tighter, feeling sorry he had ever rushed in like an idiot. Yet, it had all turned out okay. He had been impulsive, as Jiraiya had taught him, and everything worked out. He had his connection with the Force back, he was clothed, and he even found a strong person that could be a huge help to him. She sighed then, pressing her cheek against his shoulder and closing her eyes. "Goshinsetsu o fukaku kansha shimasu."

He smiled, feeling warmth deep down in himself.

* * *

"What the fuck was that, Kyuubi?" Hinata snarled, ___her fists clenched at her sides._

Kyuubi looked at her with his red, demonic eyes. His snout/nose scrunched up in fury and his sharp teeth were bared. "Have you forgotten your place? If you have, then let me remind you." He stood from his chair, his unique Force ability increasing pressure on everything within his influence radius. Hinata struggled to remain upright, but eventually kneeled in a defiant struggle to not be reduced to lying helpless before him. "Yes, that's right. It's here, with me. And until you learn that, you're not going anywhere alone again. It was my mistake letting you go to Tatooine unattended, and I see that now."

He slowly paced around the Hyuuga. She glared at the floor.

"I trust you had a nice stay on your home world." He paused, waiting for an answer. He didn't get one, so he continued. "And do not think that I am unaware of what is happening. Your little off-time in the Getsuei system is over. I do not know what you were trying to accomplish, but it was futile. You are back, now toughen up. We are assaulting the Core Worlds once more. If we do not penetrate their defenses, this war will last many years. With Lord Sidious's original plan foiled, he feels no need to be gentle on the republic. We will crush them, leaving them no hope whatsoever. The Confederacy will be victorious. Is that not what you want?"

Hinata's anger was only magnified as he continued speaking. "The Jedi will never give up or surrender. They will never be subjected to Sith rule."

"Of course not. That's why we will kill them all."

The synthetic lighting in the ship seemed to flicker. "You know your part of the deal."

"Of course, Naruto is strictly prohibited from being killed. But I am beginning to wonder… is that all that is tying you in with the Republic? How about your old master? The Kurenai woman."

"Naruto is the only one I care about," Hinata said through gritted teeth. If Hanabi was still unknown to the Uzumaki devil, then she wasn't about to reveal her to him. Hanabi. A wave of guilt, pain, and worry rushed through her then. Was she all right? She had been informed that Naruto was still alive, but perhaps that was even a lie.

"Good. Now, let's concentrate on what is important: Coruscant."

* * *

Shikamaru had watched Naruto's battle with interest. He had also kept a watchful eye on the girl. Though wasn't willing to step up and fight for the sake of a naked, fully capable Jedi, he _was_ a sucker for defending defenseless females. It was always a troublesome trait in his family, going back as far as any of the males could remember. His mom had always thought it was just a silly male thing, but it went far deeper than that.

It was like a drug. Saving the girl was to Shikamaru what planet diving was to adrenaline junkies. He _needed_ to do it, despite his lazy nature. He knew it was troublesome; he often called it a curse. However, he did like the feeling it gave him… the rush, and if he was lucky, some gratitude.

He had saved Ino from several mishaps, yet she would always act like she was in control the whole time. Troublesome girl. Yet, as Shikamaru watched the small Hyuuga latch onto Naruto like that (who was finally clothed,) he couldn't help but feel jealousy. It seemed so easy for Naruto. He was a just a powerful, easy to like guy. Of course he would be the one to save the girl, receive the credit, and act like it was all no biggie. That was how it was supposed to be.

Yet, he couldn't remember a time where Ino ever thanked him for anything of significance. He sighed, finally stepping out to reveal himself.

"Heya, Naruto. I'm glad you and the kid survived." Shikamaru gave Naruto a friendly smile.

"Ah, you…" Naruto's brow scrunched up in concentration. "Shamuru, right?"

A vain pulsed in Shikamaru's temple, but he quickly cooled off. Though it was annoying that he had remembered Naruto's name, but Naruto hadn't remembered his, it wasn't worth making trouble over. "No, it's Shikamaru, actually. Anyway, how did you survive that blast? That was completely insane! Those guys were so strong…"

Naruto's face darkened at the mention of what had happened only days before. "Yeah. Strong…" He frowned, adjusting his hold on Hanabi, who had seemingly fell asleep. "But cowardly. It was dishonorable what they did."

Shikamaru raised his arms, palms up. "Hey, you don't have to tell me that. I tried to hold them off for you two. I saw them take Hinata, and then I saw you fall… I was so sure you were a goner."

"I got lucky," Naruto admitted, looking down at the girl. "In fact, I would have died if little Hanabi here hadn't saved me."

"Really?" Now _that_ was interesting. Naruto hadn't saved the girl; she had saved _him_. Shikamaru grinned, feeling a lot less envious now. He decided to move on to a lighter subject. "So, I saw you were naked…"

Naruto let out a quick, bark-like laugh. He grinned over at Shikamaru, silent chuckles coursing through him. "That's an even longer, more personal story than you'd want to here. But I'm sure you're smart enough to fill in the gaps. But, I'd like to thank you for what you did back there at the castle-"

"Don't mention it. Ino, Chouji, and I are a tough crew. We can handle ourselves." It wasn't gratitude from a _guy_ that Shikamaru wanted. It wasn't the same thing! Just his luck that it would be a male to finally give him some credit…

"Were you able to track the ship that took Hinata?" Naruto was serious now, his eyes intent.

Shikamaru kicked at a wrong, shaking his head. Naruto sighed, turning away from the Nara to look up at the dull, crimson sun. "You know, Naruto, you are really lucky to have a girl like Hinata."

Without even turning around, Naruto said, "I know. She loves me so much, that she's sacrificed her own freedoms in an attempt to get me to feel the same way. And you know what? I do feel the same. That's why I have to get her back."

"I'd like to help out. After all, The Forbidden Love tales have to be continued, and this'll be a great addition! And I'll get to be a part of it; that's so awesome! Ino and Chouji will be ecstatic."

"I can't go just yet… There's somebody here who needs my help."

It was then that Shikamaru remembered the guy who had attacked Naruto. "You're going to help that psycho?"

"I'm a Jedi. It's what I do. Also, I'm very curious as to what he has to say…"

"Well, now you have me curious. And to be honest with you, that's saying a lot. You wanting to help a guy that tried to kill you... Wow, sounds like there has to be a pretty great reason."

Naruto turned his head to look at the tree with the wooden planks nailed into it for a ladder. "Let's go find out what this man's story is."

Despite not knowing the guy very well, Shikamaru already felt like Naruto and he were friends.

* * *

Naruto, Shikamaru, Shino, and Hanabi all sat around a small round table in the tree-shack. Hanabi was curled up, sleeping in Naruto's arms. They had all, except Hanabi, introduced themselves properly and decided it would be best to sit down and talk everything out.

"It seems my brief encounter with you has brought me two more guests. This is an odd occurrence; some may even say a coincidence. However this congregation came to be is irrelevant; what is vitally important is that we are all here. I told you, Naruto, that I was attempting to find a cure."

Naruto nodded emphatically, "A cure for life. I don't understand…"

Shino shook his head, "Nor should you. However, it is quite simple to explain. All life consists of Midi-chlorians; they are responsible for everything, yes?"

"Of course. They are what make up the Force, as well."

Shikamaru interjected, "But what does that have to do with this cure stuff?"

Shino looked at Shikamaru, yet his emotions were indecipherable due to the concealing nature of his attire. He kept the gaze long enough for it to make the Nara uncomfortable, causing him to glance away. Shino continued.

"I have a condition. My body is allergic to Midi-chlorians, and I therefore do not have any in my body." This caused both the other men to gasp. Shino held up a hand to indicate for them to not interrupt. "Yet, because they are everywhere and everything, I am unable to live a full, healthy life. That is why I must take daily injections of a substitute; it's the only substance keeping my body intact."

"This is impossible," Naruto said. "No one can be Midi-chlorian free."

"That kind of reaction is exactly the reason I deplore Jedi. Your kind shunned me; they shut down my research on Coruscant. They called it an abomination, told me I was attempting to create a method for destroying Midi-chlorians, and therefore, life."

Shikamaru leaned back in his chair. "Oh man. I hate hearing these kinds of stories; so depressing."

"You think it affects you strongly? I was exiled… My funding was lost. I escaped to this planet, choosing it for its lack of a highly advanced society, as well as its promising insect population. I've made many discoveries, devised theoretical solutions. This world is part of the Outer Rim, which is some of the farthest worlds from Coruscant. It contains no Force nexuses, and the average Midi-chlorian count in the lower phylum tiers is the lowest ever recorded. Imagine, for a moment, the Midi-chlorians were not always the driving force of life? Visualize, for a second, that Midi-chlorians have a more eccentric history than what is thought. "

All was silent in the room. Finally, Naruto spoke up, "How can any of that be possible? Midi-chlorians are life: plain and simple. You're over thinking it because of your condition."

Shino rolled his neck for a moment, and then slowly removed his glasses, putting down his hood. His eyes were still bloodshot, but not as bad as before. His hair, Naruto now noticed, was streaked with silver. Shino looked Naruto dead in the eye. "It is the dismissal of my propositions that angers me so. The Republic is as close minded as the Confederacy is blinded by its anger. That is why I take a neutral side, here on this planet. You say my condition makes me subjective to irrational conclusions. Perhaps. Or, more likely, it allows me to see the truth. When all is well, when everything in the universe is behaving according to natural law, with absolutely nothing out of the ordinary… nothing will change. But, when someone like myself experiences a life-altering epiphany, revolutions happen."

Naruto tried to consider what the man was saying, but it was all too difficult to comprehend. "So, what are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to explain that what has been accepted for thousands of years, or even longer, is a scam. That Midi-chlorians are of a foreign origin, seeding itself into all life. Growing. Multiplying. I believe that Midi-chlorians are a virus, and everyone is perfectly content to let it feed."

Shikamaru shook his head. "If the notion of Midi-chlorians being some sort of organism is true, then it would make it more of a symbiotic relationship, rather than a parasitic one."

Shino slowly shook his head. "I do not think it is safe to assume that. I can discern why you would arrive to that conclusion: the power of the Force, as provided by Midi-chlorians, would seem to be a benefit. If that were true, there wouldn't be so many wars because of it. This power should not reside in mere mortals. It has caused more trouble than it has prevented."

Shino placed his shades back onto his face, sitting back in his chair, gauging his guest's reactions. Naruto spoke up once more.

"I think it's possible. Your condition, though…"

"Yes. You have already informed me of your opinion on that matter. But, you do see my logic."

Shikamaru sighed, "This is all troublesome stuff. Such a drag, really. I thought this would be super cool… not super depressing. I'm going back to my ship." He stood to leave. He looked at Naruto, "I'll come back before nightfall. If you'll still be here, that is…" He looked questioningly at both Shino and Naruto.

Shino shrugged his indifference. "You're welcome to stay. You're the first tolerant Jedi I ever met. I should be able to restrain myself from doing anything destructive." Naruto couldn't tell if it was a joke or not.

"Yeah, I'll be here."

"Great. Later," the Nara said, exiting.

"I told you my story, now I want to know yours. Why did you come to my home… naked?"

Naruto laughed, while still trying to keep his voice low so he would not disturb Hanabi. "I'll never live this one down… All right, better start from the beginning. I was raised in a Jedi Academy on Ilum…"

* * *

**Another chapter bites the dust! Slightly shorter than I would have liked, but I needed to get something out to you guys. If you have noticed the difference in the separation of point of views, it is due to a change made by the website. My previous four hyphens were no longer showing up, so I had to go through and change all my chapters to the ruler instead. **

**Thanks for reading, and please drop a review!**


	20. Departure

"It's not me… it's you," was how it began. A simple enough excuse to leave someone broken hearted. Except, it didn't come out quite the way he had expected it to.

"Excuse me?" the girl screeched, standing up. Her chair toppled over backwards and everyone looked in their direction. Kiba had to damage control, and fast.

"Oh, no, that's not how I meant-"

"Do you _know_ who the hell you're talking to, space rat?" the redhead seethed.

"Tayuya, calm down… I never meant to-"

"Shut the fuck up, you little prick. Let me tell _you_ something. I thought I saw something in you, despite my father's stark disapproval. I took you in, a lowly little smuggler, and made you what you are now. And you just think… you can fucking break up with me?"

Kiba was afraid this might happen. That's why he brought her to a crowded little restaurant… where people would hopefully deter her instinct to murder him. "Baby, no-"

"Who the fuck are you calling baby, you arrogant asshole?" she screeched. Kiba's eyes widened as she reached under the front flap of her tan shirt to retrieve… a flute. Dread and misery made their cold crawl down Kiba's spine.

"No, wait-"but she played the tune anyway. Many stopped cold in the small dining area at the front of the restaurant, where the sun was able to grace them with its warmth. The supersonic device within the musical instrument was known to paralyze humans, even cause one to go deaf if the right pitch was hit.

Luckily, Kiba was only half human.

The smuggler leaped away from the table, scrambling away as fast as he could. A loud scream echoed behind him, but he dared not look back as he dove into the crowd, dodging mobile vendors and security officials.

He had to escape. Yet, this whole world was owned by that psycho bitch's father. He now realized the grave mistake he had made by not leaving the planet… by not even considering an escape route. Honestly, he had thought he could break it off easy and they might still be friends. He did have feelings for her, but she was so demanding… so bossy. He just had a tendency to spit out the truth. That often led him into dangerous situations.

"Crap, crap, craaaap!" he whined, just as he skidded to a halt and ducked behind a crate. His small planetary cruiser was being overrun by Tayuya's father's men. He groaned inwardly. Everything he owned was either on that ship… or in Tayuya's room.

"What are you doing?" came a curious voice. Kiba slowly turned his head to see a hooded figure wearing a long, light lavender cloak. The figure pulled back the hood to reveal flowing dark violet hair, with a shiny halo ringing around the crest of her head from how the sun hit her hair. Kiba was always a lucky guy, which is how he decided he could go into the smuggling business. He'd figured he'd be able to get out of any un-favorable situation.

"You've got to help me," he pleaded, mentally slapping himself at how needy he must have seemed. He turned his soft orange eyes up at her, a trait given to him by his father, a Gurlanin. He gave her his trademarked puppy stare, something also inherited from his father's side.

She laughed, her eyes closing for a brief moment to fully enjoy the situation. When she finally calmed down, only letting out a small chuckle, she turned her own smoky-lavender eyes upon the kneeling Kiba. "I'm guessing those guys over there are ransacking your ship, huh?"

He nodded fervently, but now he started to see how dismal his situation was actually looking. What could this girl do? She was no older than himself, and surely had no means to smuggle him out of this forsaken planet, let alone take his ship back. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. Sorry to bother you…" He turned back to his ship to watch mournfully as they threw his things about, even tossing some of his most prized possessions into the streets for common beggars to swarm over. He cringed whenever a new item hit the dusty ground.

A hand patted his shoulder reassuringly, and he turned his head to see a soft smile come from the girl that inspired a spark of hope within him. "Don't worry about it. Leave this to me."

Horror stricken, Kiba shook his head. "No, those men are-"

The girl gave him a hard look and he shut up right then. Deciding to go for a new tactic, he timidly said, "Thanks."

The cloaked female strode out into the docking plaza with a confident gait. He watched as she exchanged a few words with the leader of this particular group of thugs. He laughed at her briefly, before he was hurled fifty feet away to crash into a pile of abandoned, broken droids far to her left. Everyone in the vicinity froze. No one ever stood up to Gato's goons.

The girl, no, woman glared around the plaza, decreeing, "I am the Planet Conqueror of the CIS, and if this place isn't empty before I count to five everyone dies."

Kiba watched in awe as she only had to count to three. He slowly made his way over to her, feeling a deep fear of her as well as a strange attachment. He no longer wanted to be a smuggler. He wanted to serve her, to help her, and above all… see more of those displays of strength in the name of justice.

She turned around and looked Kiba in the eyes, seemingly gauging his reaction to what he had just heard. "So… Planet Conqueror, huh? I never imagined you to be so pretty… or a human girl, for that matter."

She gave him an amused smile. "Hyuuga, actually."

And so he followed her around the town, going from building to building as she did her rounds. She explained to him that this planet was supposed to be an ally of the CIS, yet it had sent no forces or resources to aid in the war effort. Kiba agreed with her that it would be a terribly awful occurrence if she had to dispose of this planet, as well.

Now that the secret of her status was out, she no longer wore her hood. She openly made her demands to see the armories of the town, the soldiers that Gato continued to claim were in training, and Gato himself. The two eventually found themselves before a large mahogany desk, where a short man in a suit sat in an expensive, luxurious armchair. His shaded glasses reflected no light, as well as blocked the view of his eyes. His bushy gray hair seemed unkempt, but in a fashionable manner.

"Where are our troops?" Hinata, which Kiba learned was her name, demanded.

"Still in training, I assure you. As soon as they are competent, we will send them for you to do with what you wish." He had a smooth, business-like voice. His face seemed friendly enough, but he held an air of arrogance.

What Kiba disliked most about the office, though, was the fact that Tayuya stood at the back wall, glaring Kiba down. He gulped as she mouthed the words _'Is this the bitch you left me for?'_ He knew instinctively that it wasn't a question she wanted answered. No matter what he could say, anyway, he knew she would condemn Hinata in her own mind.

"Then why do you not send the mandatory tax that everyone allied with the Confederacy must pay? That tax is very important. It funds our continued military deployments against the Republic, it pays for the defense of confederate systems, and it is the relief fund to those that have had their livelihoods harmed by the war. Do you not wish to contribute to such admirable duties that the government undertakes on the people's behalf?"

"Of course, Lady Hyuuga, but my planet is stricken with poverty…"

"Don't give me that fodder, Gato. I want that money transferred to the CIS accounts today, and I want those men deployed _now_." He glared him down, the room suddenly becoming darker and the air thicker. Kiba found it hard to breathe.

The sudden change in atmosphere was harder on the older man, leaving him gasping for breath, leaning heavily against his desk. Tayuya took a concerned step towards him, but was stopped cold by Hinata's glare. "Am I understood?"

"Y-yes!" the man choked out. Suddenly, everything was normal again. The man leaned back in his chair, taking in gulps of air. "Of course, Lady Hyuuga. Anything you ask. Your wish is my command, as they say." He coughed briefly, now a broken man. He couldn't even bring himself to look back up at Hinata.

"Good. I'm leaving now; don't make me come back." She whipped around, her cloak brushing airily against the desk briefly. Kiba quickly followed.

"You're really scary, you know that?"

Hinata only laughed, the joviality she had shown when he first met her was back. "I was in business mode. In this line of work, you have to do anything you can to make sure your demands are met. Otherwise, men like Gato will walk all over you. My duty as the commander of the Confederate Army's apprentice is to do his dirty work. If I had walked in there all soft and pleading, Gato would have laughed and dismissed me. Good thing I'm not that kind of person."

"You're a fascinating person," Kiba said in awe. They soon left building, and were making their way to the upper-class hangars. Kiba talked with her about how he was while growing up.

He was an outcast… a half breed. His mother abandoned him while he was young, and his father had to flee his own planet with him. His people didn't like the idea of a half human, half Gurlanin wandering among their own young. They found him revolting.

He explained that Gurlanins were a polymorphic race, able to transform into almost anything. But In their regular states, they were merely black canines, with bright orange eyes. He also explained that he was unable to transform into anything but his own regular state, but he preferred his human form.

"So what happened to your father?"

"He… eventually died. He met my mother in a medical ward on a cruise ship. He was masquerading as a rich human, but had caught some sort of disease from while aboard. She nursed him back to health, eventually falling in love with him. When they had me, my father had to tell her the truth… because of my half human, half Gurlanin appearance. She was disgusted. He never saw her again. I think that is what brought upon a relapse of that same disease. He was so heartbroken… I grew up in the slums at a young age, pick pocketing to bring in some sort of income to this gang I joined. That's where I got these tattoos." He let her get a long look at each of his cheeks, where an elongated, red triangle started at his cheek bone and extended nearly to the base of his face.

"You've led quite an interesting life yourself," she mused.

"That's not the half of it. I was targeted by the gang leader after I discovered I had the uncanny ability to pilot any ship to the point that it was art. I can make a ship do things that the manufacturer never dreamed possible. The gang leader wanted me to start ding all these crazy, dangerous smuggling runs for him. I was only ten! I was scared… so I fled. Stupidly of me, I took the leader's favorite ship. That gang chased me halfway across the galaxy, for nearly three years. Then I ended up here. Tayuya… the girl waiting behind Gato… she took me in. Her father put an end to the chase. From what I heard, he had the whole gang brutally murdered…"

Kiba paused to reflect on his past. "In truth, I don't regret that. They were scum, anyway. So from then on, I worked for Gato. Last year I started dating his daughter, and he didn't like that too much. She's a great person… mostly. She has a terrible anger problem, and is so bossy! Despite her father's wishes, she continued seeing me. I thought I loved her… I still think I do. But I can't deal with it anymore. It's too frustrating to be in such an uneven relationship, you know?"

Hinata shrugged, so Kiba continued. "I broke up with her today… it didn't go very well. I guess that's why they were trashing my ship. Thanks again for your help, Hinata."

"Don't worry about it. It's not like it cost me anything." They came to a stop and Kiba stared up at a medium-sized stealth ship with the CIS logo planted on the side. "Think you can pilot that?"

Kiba grinned.

* * *

Naruto awoke with Hanabi under his arm, sleeping soundly next to him.

The past week had been an enjoyable one. He spent time with Hanabi, Shino, and Shikamaru as they searched the forest for interesting life forms. Shikamaru said he only attended these 'uneventful escapades' because they allowed for him to get away from the chaos back at his ship, which he deemed "troublesome."

Naruto slowly got out of the cot, careful not to awake Hanabi. They had been staying in one of the more cleared out rooms of Shino's tree shack, and Naruto continued to wear the varied version of Shino's own attire.

Quickly getting dressed and clipping the utility belt around his waist, Naruto left the tree. During the insect scavenger hunts, Naruto had always kept a lookout for his own ship. He had lost his datapad, which was linked to it… his only method of calling it to his position.

Since he was up so early, he figured he could go out and take a morning jog while searching for it on a broader scale. He figured a five mile radius wouldn't be too harsh of a workout if he called upon the Force to aid him.

He set out, leaping past trees and thick foliage. He often bounced from branch to branch when the underbrush got too thick. He spent several hours hopping around before he crashed into an invisible wall. He fell back, landing hard on his side. "What the…?"

And there his ship was. It fizzled back into existence in reaction to the hard blow Naruto's body had given it. Of course, a long period of abandonment would make it go into stealth mode to protect it from foreign invasion, and possible enemy advantage by commandeering it.

"Wow, am I glad to see you!" he exclaimed, despite the swollen bump on his forehead from where he had crashed into the hard metal skin of the craft. "Open!"

His voice was instantly recognized and the ship responded. He quickly rushed inside and began doing a systems check. Everything seemed to be functional. "All right!" he exclaimed, excited.

He immediately contacted Coruscant. It took a few moments for the ship to make a connection, but when Master Windu's figure popped up on the holodeck, Naruto couldn't be more relieved. "Master!"

"Young Uzumaki!" the Master of the Force exclaimed. "You're alive?"

Naruto could only stare baffled at Mace. He couldn't believe his luck. All he had done was prance through the forest, letting the Force guide him… Of course! It was as Master Jiraiya had taught him all along. Trust in the Force, and let it guide you. Why had Naruto not learned to do so yet?

"Yes, Master. I have relocated my ship and immediately contacted you-"

"We felt you disappear… we sensed your destruction! How can this be?"

"Master, I… I can only guess. After I reached the Getsuei system, a lot of strange things happened. I… pursued Hinata Hyuuga. I swear I almost had her back! But I was attacked by Orochimaru and two others I didn't recognize. I'll send a report…"

"No matter. You're to report back to Coruscant immediately. Master Jiraiya is out on a mission at the moment, but as soon as he returns we need to redeploy you. The CIS is growing bolder in their attempts to penetrate the Core Worlds. We cannot let them through! Do you understand the severity of our situation, young Uzumaki?"

"Yes, Master. I will leave straight away."

There was a pause as Naruto waited for Master Windu to end the transmission.

"Naruto… it's good to have you back." Despite any earlier misgivings Mace had for Naruto, the Uzumaki could see in the visage of the Master that he truly meant what he said.

"Good to be back, Master."

* * *

Tenten lazed around in the gravity chamber of their new ship, which was currently set to four times standard gravity. She was satisfied that her accuracy was still top notch as her body accommodated for such factors when she threw each knife at the painted, padded targets spread across the chamber.

Lee didn't so much as flinch when a knife passed above his head as he counted his thousandth pushup. It actually touched her every time these types of things happened. Lee had so much confidence in her abilities that he never doubted her aim, even when at times he was dangerously close to her launched ammo.

He rolled onto his back, finished with his pushups for the day. He tried to tell her he was only human, but Tenten knew better. There had to be something in his body that allowed for him to perform such inhuman feats of strength and endurance. Human bodies just couldn't keep up with the pace that Lee set for himself when it came to conditioning his body.

"If I cannot complete five reps of three hundred sit-ups, I will run five thousand laps around this room!" He mandated, immediately setting to his work. Tenten rolled her eyes.

"Why do you do that?"

"Do…What… Ten?" he breathed between sit-ups.

"Push yourself so hard that you can barely function afterwards?" She let a little heat into her words, but also a trace of concern.

"Don't… worry… about me!"

"Ugh," she groaned, lying back on her work out pad. "You're so stubborn." She cast her eyes over at him, just in time to catch his brilliant white smile and a flash of a thumbs-up.

In truth, Lee was an amazing person that was capable of amazing things. He had a slightly higher-than normal Midi-chlorian count, but was unable to manipulate even the smallest of objects. Despite this, he trained hard under a Jedi Master that wouldn't give up on him. The High Council eventually stripped Lee's Master of his rank for such 'foolishness,' and made him leave Coruscant.

Lee trained even harder after that, until Master Guy, as Lee would call the Master, was killed in a raid by bandits in the village they stayed in. Lee always spoke highly of that man, and told how he went out to try and negotiate with the Tusken Raiders for a peace treaty. Tatooine was a dangerous place, though, and certainly was no place for a peace-minded man like Guy. They murdered him… and so Lee destroyed every single one of them.

Lee's ability with a lightsaber was unmatched so far. He had never lost a battle, even with the few Jedi they encountered in their line of work. Many Jedi made the mistake of considering all non-Jedi an amateur in battle, especially when they saw another wielding a lightsaber.

The first time Lee had been forced to fight a Jedi, he had pulled out his lightsaber… and been laughed at. The man soon regretted his mockery, when his head rolled away from his body.

Lee was currently training, as usual, shirtless. His glistening, rock hard body was as close to godly as Tenten thought she would ever see. He kept to a fierce training regiment every day, never letting himself rest unless Tenten put her foot down. She honestly believed that if she weren't there to stop him sometimes, he'd train himself to death.

Yet, just as crucially, she needed him. He was her Rock, as his surname dictated. He was the constant in her uncertain life. Though her success as a bounty hunter let her live a luxurious life, it was always a dangerous one. She always had to keep a lookout for trouble. Luckily, Lee had her back at all times.

Ever since her latest employer said that she never wanted to see Kyuubi, the leader of the Confederate Army, again, Tenten had been doing her research. She knew it would be a hard kill, but what was the fun in an easy mission? They had been scouting out many of the worlds he had been reported to have visited in the past week. She was now following his apprentice, hoping that the young woman would lead her to her target.

Also, she was a little apprehensive about getting to close to the man. Kyuubi's apprentice just so happened to be the infamous Planet Conqueror, so it made Tenten wonder… Just how strong was the man that commanded that kind of power?

"One-hundred fifty, one-hundred fifty-one…"

It actually relaxed Tenten to hear Lee's constant counting. They would just have to deal with whatever chance they got at the man, and hope for the best.

* * *

Shikamaru had observed Neji's recovery over the past week, noting that the man became stronger every day. He was soon able to walk and eventually returned to a somewhat normal physical condition. However, mentally… he was destroyed. He had finally found the last of the royal line, and he had let her be kidnapped.

Shikamaru could tell he hated himself for it. Therefore, he had went out with Naruto and the other two as much as possible. Dealing with troublesome emotions of others was too much to handle for the Nara. Ino took over the overseeing of Neji, comforting him much of the time, even though he would not allow himself to be comforted. Shikamaru did his best to hide his jealousy.

On this particular morning, Neji wasn't even feeling up to getting out of bed. He was badly depressed. So, naturally, Ino went to his side. Just as naturally, Shikamaru went out to visit with his tree-dwelling friends.

"Oi! Naruto! Get up, you lazy bum!" Shikamaru called out to the rough looking shack.

"Oh, hey, Shikamaru!" a voice called just behind him, making the Nara jump.

Spinning around, Shikamaru frowned at the grinning Naruto. "You're up earlier than usual. What's going on?"

"Great news! I found my ship!"

Shikamaru blinked. That _was_ great news, however… what happened now? Was Naruto the type of guy to just bring along group of people he hadn't even known a week and a half before? Shikamaru inwardly laughed at himself. From what he could tell about Naruto, that was exactly the type of person he was. So he just said, "When do we leave?"

Naruto grinned from ear to ear, then suddenly froze. "Oh, crap." He kicked the dirt, now grimacing. "I can't believe I forgot about Shino…"

"Wha-?" but Naruto was already running to the shack. Shikamaru spun in time to watch him disappear into the trapdoor of the wooden structure.

Deciding he could do nothing else, he followed.

* * *

"I've found my ship, Shino." Naruto said nervously. The Aburame looked at him, his normal expressionless self. Except, now he seemed a little different.

"I see." He turned his gaze back to his work of monitoring the habitats of his insects.

"I'll be leaving for Coruscant soon…"

"I had come to that logical solution already, Uzumaki. It's only reasonable that you return to your Jedi hive." Naruto had winced when Shino used his surname.

Naruto had felt a real connection to the guy. After a brief week of staying with the man, he had dropped a few of his personal barriers. Naruto had considered them friends. Now… reality was beginning to set in. Naruto hadn't changed Shino's mind about Jedi, and vice versa. Where did they stand now? What could be done?

"Hey, guys. What's up?" Shikamaru walked through the entryway, folding his arms and arching a brow.

Naruto ignored him. "Shino, you're welcome to come…"

"No, that is out of the question. I must remain here and continue to conduct my research."

"Shino…" Naruto pleaded. He didn't want to just leave the man there all alone. He had felt that his, Hanabi's, and even Shikamaru's presence had been good for the quiet scientist. His anti-social attitude could only hinder him, especially when one considers the massive problem he faced.

"I have taken into account that this moment would come to pass. I have mentally simulated it a few times, so I am fully prepared for your departure. I just… didn't envision it to be so soon."

That little spark of emotion was exactly why Naruto felt he could not let the man stay there alone. He was making progress in becoming, for lack of a better description, more human.

"You've been here long enough to know that your answer can be anywhere. Why do you want to stay so badly?"

Shino shook his head slowly. "I have explained my reasoning for relocating my research to this planet. The species here show the most promise for the answer of how to live without Midi-chlorians. I cannot abandon what I have started to go on some wild adventure with a Jedi."

Naruto stood there, crestfallen. "Perhaps… the answer is not in how to live without Midi-chlorians," Naruto ventured. "Maybe… just maybe, the answer is how to remove the Midi-chlorians from life."

Shino paused. Both his eyebrows raised at this theory. "Perhaps," he conceded.

"So if that is possible, then maybe observing a Jedi as he goes about on his adventures through the Galaxy would give you a better insight on how to solve such a problem."

Shino's head turned to face Naruto, "What harm could it do?"

Naruto grinned.

* * *

Shikamaru left to gather Chouji, Ino, and Neji along with their belongings.

Naruto helped Shino release any live creatures that he felt weren't important enough to preserve. It only took an hour or so, by which time Hanabi awakened. She stayed close to Naruto, and muttered a few Basic words, as if she were practicing the language.

When Shino packed up anything he deemed necessary to bring along, they waited at the base of the large tree that held up most of the shack. Shikamaru and company were soon there, and a happy reunion between Neji and Hanabi seemed to bring the man out of his slump.

"Hanabi wishes to thank you for taking care of her," he interpreted. "And so do I. Thank you, Naruto-san." He bowed deeply to the blond. Naruto scratched the back of his head and laughed.

"You've got it all wrong. She saved _me_. Tell her I said thanks."

After a brief conversation in their language, Neji turned to Naruto with a quizzical look. "She wants you to know that… she never looked? I don't quite understand."

Naruto laughed in embarrassment. He kneeled down and hugged the small girl. She hugged him back warmly. Naruto picked her up and put her on his shoulders, making her giggle. "Okay, everyone! Let's get off this planet!"

Everyone let out a small cheer, except for Shino, and they made their way to Naruto's ship

* * *

Sakura watched as Sasuke slept soundly in his bed. He was all she ever wanted. He was all she ever cared about… so why did it hurt so much to look at him?

She grit her teeth as, for the thousandth time, the word 'assassin' popped into her mind. It was an ugly, gruesome word. It did not fit into the lifestyle of a Jedi. So… why had the Council ordered him to do something so atrocious?

Of course, she knew the answer to that. To end the war. Or, at least, to pave a path for ending the war. Yet, how much was the Council willing to risk for victory? The integrity of the Jedi shouldn't be compromised, no matter the circumstances. Jedi should be the heroes of the public, not the cold hearted killers that were indivisible from petty criminals.

A meeting today had been made with all the Jedi in the Temple of Coruscant. The High Council updated the Jedi on the status of the war, and had declared the disappearance of Naruto Uzumaki and the planet conqueror, as well as some other Jedi named Ino Yamanaka, to be all part of the same incident.

She had reported the location of Hinata as soon as she arrived at Coruscant, though they ad disapproved of her waiting to do it in person. An immediate dispatch of Jedi, one of them being Yoda himself, was sent to handle the problem. But, when they got there, they witnessed the area where Hinata had been reported… to be obliterated. To further their despair, Yoda could not sense Naruto's presence on the planet, or Hinata's. They had immediately given chase to a CIS ship that was leaving the planet, but they were unable to track it down after they lost sight of it.

Now Sakura couldn't sleep, for every time she did… she thought of Hinata. Was she alive? Was she seeking vengeance on Sakura and Sasuke? Did she even care?

And then she would think of Naruto. Surely he was not aboard that CIS vessel. That only left him being on the planet… where Yoda did not sense him. If he was dead, what did that leave for Hinata? She was terribly in love with the Uzumaki, and Sakura knew that for a fact. Without Naruto, what would Hinata do?

The pink haired Jedi sighed, pulled her knees to her chest, and rested her chin against her legs. And the one question that bothered her most was… why was she so unhappy?

* * *

**Garlanins are a true Star Wars species, so that was done for the pricklier of my readers! **

**Thanks for reading, and as always, if you have a question or comment, please leave a review and I will get back to you as soon as possible. For anything more in-depth than that, we can communicate via private message. Until next time!**


	21. Travel, Travel

Coughing loudly, though as quietly as he could manage, Shino stuffed his handkerchief against his lips in an attempt to muffle the loud, hacking sound. Pulling a hypodermic blast tube from one of his inner pockets, Shino pressed the end of the gun-like tool to his neck and pulled the trigger. This newer concoction was one of promising ingredients, but hope was the farthest thing from the Aburame's mind.

Stumbling to the basin of water in his small room, Shino coughed flecks of blood into the shallow pool. Gasping for breath, he waited for the vaccine to take effect. Gritting his teeth through the sudden, searing pain in his spine, Shino bit down on the bloody rag to keep from screaming.

Slowly, Shino slid down the length of the basin, a chill overtaking his body as shivers surged through his limbs. "No, no," he gasped, "not yet." Perhaps his condition was only getting worse as time moved on, or the excess amount of Midi-chlorians from the Jedi aboard the ship was detrimental to his health. Either way, he still had to find the answer to his problem because time was only getting shorter for him.

Several agonizing minutes passed by as the Aburame shivered against the hard metal at his back, the bloody rag clenched between his teeth. Just as he thought his time was up, and the potential treatment was not going to work, he broke out into a sweat and the shivers ceased. Falling sideways to the floor in exhaustion, Shino stared at the small cot that was meant for him to sleep in. He didn't think he could sit up, let alone pull himself into bed.

He hadn't told Naruto that his time was running out. He didn't tell him that each treatment was becoming less effective. He didn't even mention that before Naruto had showed up, he had given up hope and was actually in the development of a suicide serum. Something that was painless, but not quick. He wanted to go out with a feeling of euphoria, as a consolation prize for his failure to find a cure.

When Naruto showed up at his… tree step, he was shocked and appalled. He thought that the Jedi Order had actually sent a hit man to get rid of him and his research. He hated the naked man so badly; he wanted to kill him as soon as he saw the lightsaber on his belt. In fact, he wanted to _die_ while killing Naruto at that time, and so he didn't immediately execute him. Funny, his own suicidal intentions saved Naruto's life.

Taking his mind off of the more ironic situations of his past, he couldn't help but congratulate himself on a job well done. He had the serum now, in his possession, for when the pain becomes too much, or the treatments stop working completely.

Another thing he didn't tell Naruto: he didn't plan on surviving. Not anymore. Yes, he would continue his research. Yes, he would continue his injection regimen. And no, he wouldn't use the serum until it was absolutely the end for him. But, none of that gave his intellectual mind any reason to believe he would survive the next few months or so. Longer, if he found a better treatment.

He knew this would kill him. Treatments, albeit painful ones with less than ideal side effects, were possible. But a cure? It seemed like such a farfetched idea to him now. When he initially left Coruscant, he had planned on fighting to the very end. He would show his resolve, his resilience.

But that was years ago. Now he knew better. Midi-chlorians were his enemy, and he was outnumbered a trillion trillion to one.

Fingering the hypo in his pocket, Shino slowly nodded off to sleep. If his time came, at least he could say he didn't make the mistake of staying in the Getsuei system, where no one even knew his name.

* * *

"Again," roared Kyuubi, brandishing his lightsaber menacingly. The boy before him gulped and began firing his dual blaster pistols, each blast being batted away easily by the Uzumaki man. Growling, he used the Force to pull both weapons from the precarious grip of the Inuzuka stowaway. "Useless."

Kiba stood there with absolute terror in his eyes, feeling the pressure of the man's presence bearing down on his very soul. For the life of him, he could not remember why he had ever thought Tayuya was the queen of mean.

"That's because you're trying to get him to do something he's no good at," Hinata argued from across the training chamber, arms crossed defiantly. "He's a pilot, not a soldier."

"We've got plenty of pilots," Kyuubi spat, "and a million droids and computers to replace any organic failures. Why should I be responsible for him when he has no combat sense?"

"I'll be responsible for him."

"Oh yeah?" Kyuubi closed the distance between himself and his apprentice, and pointed a black-clawed finger at Kiba. "And I'm responsible for you, therefore making _him_ my problem once more."

"Stop acting like you can't see his potential! He can transform, for crying out loud. How many people do you know that can do that?"

"He can transform into a fucking _dog_," Kyuubi seethed, "how much more useless can he get?"

"He's just yet to take to his full powers. With a little practice, I bet he could do more. He's already said that he's transformed less than ten times in his entire life, so-"

"No," Kyuubi warned, "you can't keep him. We have no time for pet projects."

Kiba got the sudden, sinking feeling that the argument that the two of them were having was very similar to his own argument with his gang leader all those years ago… when he wanted to keep a small reptile as a pet.

Hinata shook her head, "I'm not asking for permission. He's coming with me, enough said. I only brought him here in an attempt to get you to train him. I see now that it's a lost cause. Come on, Kiba," she said as she maneuvered from around Kyuubi, towards the door.

Kiba almost wanted to object, feeling that it was indignant for him to follow along like a lost puppy. Deciding against that impulse, however, when he saw Kyuubi's glare, he ran after her.

"Hinata, what just happened in there?"

Kiba didn't miss the small smirk as she said, "I just like screwing with him."

"Isn't that dangerous? I mean, he is the leader of the Confederate army and all…"

But Hinata only shook her head, letting out a small laugh. "Haven't you heard? I'm indispensable. He puts up a strong front, but he knows that without my cooperation, this war would be infinitely harder." Grimacing, she added, "I am the Planet Conqueror, after all."

Kiba, feeling a little down, slowly transformed into a large black dog with vibrant orange eyes. Red markings extended below his eyes, reminiscent of his human tattoos. While transforming, he managed to keep pace with Hinata, who didn't even notice the change. He nuzzled his nose to her left hand, causing her to jerk slightly in surprise at the feeling of his wet nose. Looking down at him, she laughed so hard she stopped walking.

"You're the weirdest looking animal I've ever seen in my life," she explained through her tearful bursts of laughter.

Offended, Kiba bared his teeth. Unfortunately for him, Hinata seemingly mistook it for a smile.

"I'm glad you have a good sense of humor," she told him. Kiba decided not to respond.

* * *

Tayuya glared out of the viewport of her ex-boyfriend's ship as it sped through hyperspace. With her personal bodyguard at her side, as her father's own ultimatum for her leaving the planet, she had set out immediately to put down the dog she should have never taken in.

"To be fair," the soft spoken bodyguard said, "you never were very nice to him."

Tayuya rounded on the white-haired bastard, screaming, "What the fuck do you know about him and me, huh? I treated him like a fucking god, like royalty. I gave him this ship, I saved his ass from that gang, and I took him in when no one else wanted him."

"Technically, your father did most of that. However, you taking him in… it seems to me you treated him like a pet, something… subhuman."

"Kimimaro," she growled, "don't start with me. I'm not in the fucking mood." She turned grumpily in her swivel chair to stare back out the viewport for a few more minutes. Swallowing her tough attitude for a moment, she asked tentatively, "Am I a bad person? Was I really that awful to him?" She didn't have the courage to look at Kimimaro as he responded.

"It's tough to say, Lady Tayuya, but I do believe you treated him the best you felt you safely could." Kimimaro looked protectively at his charge. He was only a few years older than the young woman, who was still in her late teens. He grew up watching her. His whole life was devoted to her.

Gato took him in as a baby, had the best fighters in the galaxy train him. They instilled discipline, honor, and integrity into his very bones. As he grew up with Tayuya, he watched her. He was her best friend, her protector, and even her worst enemy at times. He knew that being raised as the daughter of the leader of a multi-planetary gang leader was hard on her at times, so she had to put up a tough front.

He made the flute she carried around at all times, as he had sensed early on her love for music. It had been Gato's decision and innovations that turned the beautiful instrument into an assassin's most coveted weapon. So she learned to deal with the thugs in her life with the violence and efficiency that Gato had always dreamed a son would.

So, during these very few moments that she allowed herself to succumb to her more feminine side, Kimimaro tried to be as gentle with her as possible.

"I'm a coward," she said miserably. "He was the only person, besides you, that I could connect with. Yet… I still couldn't let him see the real me."

"Lady Tayuya, there are only a few people in this lifetime that we will ever feel we connect with. I would suggest you don't push those people away, but embrace them."

"Hm." Suddenly, her voice was rougher, and her language became courser. "Sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me. When I see that mutt, I'm going to beat him senseless and drag him back home. Then I'm going to show that freaky-eyed bitch just why no one messes with Gato."

Kimimaro sighed. He thought he had her convinced. Almost.

* * *

Shikamaru was _not_ having fun on this little cruise.

"Your hair is so long and silky, Neji!" squealed Ino for, what seemed to Shikamaru, to be the thousandth time. For the past hour or so, she had been brushing the Hyuuga man's long, pitch-black hair, styling it, and then brushing it out again. "How do you like this style?"

Of course, Neji was unresponsive. He had been that way since they had found him. All the life seemed to have bled from the man, and the more lifeless he became… the more Ino fawned over him. Shikamaru glared at the comatose Hyuuga. When he had seen the small Hyuuga child, his condition seemed to go into remission. However, it didn't take long for him to withdraw from the world, once they boarded the ship.

"You look," Chouji remarked, while chomping through a bag of chips, "a lot like that Sasuke guy, actually."

And now that it had been said aloud, Shikamaru knew what Ino was doing. She was projecting her romanticized version of the Uchiha onto a blank slate… and now the long locks of the immobile man did, indeed, look like a larger scale version of Sasuke's hair. Shikamaru's hands clenched at his side.

There was a fairly large lounge in the ship, behind the control center. It was a lowered, circular pit with bench-like seats aligning the walls of the pit. Various meditation cushions were resting upon raised platforms across the pit, and Chouji sat on one, chomping away. Ino sat across from the large man, on the padded bench, with Neji on the floor, back resting against the bench in front of her. Her legs were folded up under her, and she seemed perfectly content dictating any style upon the uncaring man.

"Now that you mention it, Chouji," she replied, "it does, doesn't it?"

Shikamaru ground his teeth, anger overflowing his body. What was up with her? After all these years of fantasizing, she finds out the truth… and can't handle it? It was all becoming too much for the Nara to deal with.

"So, Chouji, tell us all about what that Uchiha looked like before when you first saw him. I must be remembering incorrectly, because he looked like shit." Shikamaru was a little surprised at the vehemence in his tone, but he didn't feel guilty at what he said.

Ino visibly cringed at the memory, and she turned her head to glare up at Shikamaru, who now had his arms folded. "Why do you always gotta ruin the mood, Shikamaru?"

Snorting, he replied, "Why can't you let that guy go? You don't even know him."

"Neither do you, but you don't seem to mind jumping to conclusions. Besides, this wasn't intentional." She turned back around to look at her handiwork.

"Yeah, I know… because you're chasing a ghost. Someone that doesn't exist. Something above mortal standards; you've set your dreams so high up on a pedestal that that's the only place you can look." He wanted to continue so badly, but he didn't want to mess things up at this point. After all, they were on a ship. And he _really_ didn't want to be jettisoned into space.

Laughing without mirth, Ino shook her head, "You've got no idea. But…" now her voice lowered, "you're right about one thing. It's not him I want, not anymore. I guess… he's all I could hang on to over the years, since I left Ilum. I set myself up for a fall." She got up and climbed out of the pit, walking towards the door that led to the rooms of the ship. "I'm sorry I dragged you two into this." She then disappeared behind the sliding doorway.

Shikamaru stood there, staring after her. She had gone from joyful to depressed in nothing flat. Now _he_ was feeling like the bad guy, despite her selfish actions being the catalyst of his rage. Making a decision, he went after her. Passing the door, he found himself in the hallway, doors lining each side. At the end of the hall, Ino was about to enter her room.

"Wait!" he called out. Ino's arms fell to her sides, and her head hung. Her hair completely hid her face. Shikamaru slowly made his way towards her.

"Look, Shika, I know you think I'm a fool-"

"Yeah," he said, interrupting her. He was now at her side, his arms crossed. "And a troublesome one, at that. But that doesn't mean I'm just going to let you get away that easily."

Her head turned up too look at him, an annoyed grimace on her face. "So you came to lecture me some more?"

Shikamaru stood there, mulling his options over in his head. Finally, he said, "No. I think I can understand what you've done and why; even though you don't _want_ him, you can't let him go… but not being able to get over him hurts more than just you."

"Yeah, I get it," she said, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "No more trips to the middle of nowhere to-"

But she was too shocked to finish the rest of her sentence. Shikamaru pinned her arms above her head, and he was close enough now to feel her breath on his chin. "No. That's not it, either. It's me, Ino. This isn't about the team, it's about you and I. As much as I complain about the things you do, as much trouble I give you about your many impulsive decisions… I secretly love you for it. You do things that I'd never do without careful consideration first. You say what comes to your mind, no matter who it offends. Your painfully annoying obsession about your looks, your emotional outbursts, your-"

"Shikamaru?"

Put off, Shikamaru blinked. "Yeah?"

"Shut up." And she leaned forward to kiss him. Eagerly returning her affection, the kiss lasted for a blissful eternity before Shikamaru pulled away smirking.

"And your constant interruptions, whenever I try to voice what's on my mind."

Pulling free of his grip and shoving him playfully away, Ino quipped, "Because you have too much on your mind. If I'm not there to stop you, it would never end!"

Shrugging, Shikamaru looked at the open doorway to her room. Seeing this, Ino laughed.

"Not by a long shot, buddy." And then she was gone, her door closed.

Grunting, Shikamaru turned to go back to the lounge. "Troublesome woman."

* * *

Naruto grinned openly, pleased at Hanabi's abilities. They were sitting across from each other in a meditative position on the floor in Naruto's room.

"You've got a real talent for this, Hanabi!" he praised, keeping his eyes on the playing card that floated before him. "Think you can do two at the same time?" He held up two fingers, giving his best inquisitive look. Hanabi nodded fervently, squinting her eyes in concentration.

Sure enough, another card floated up, albeit precariously. Letting out a small squeal of delight, Hanabi lost her concentration and the two cards fell to the floor. She looked crestfallen for a second, before Naruto reached out a hand to rest a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"You're doing great. With a little practice, you'll probably be better than me!"

She looked up at him, blinked, and then pulled the datapad that Naruto had given her towards her, from where it was lying a few feet away. Tapping on it quickly, she paused. A moment later, she looked up at him.

"Dem-uhn-strashun?" she asked, slowly.

Grinning again, Naruto couldn't help but think again about her ability to learn quickly. She had mastered the interface of the datapad in no time, and was now able to find translations for what she wanted to see. Slowly but surely, she was learning Basic.

Nodding, Naruto closed his eyes for a moment. Large-scale Force techniques were simple; a matter of power. For manipulating something as small as a playing card, well… it was exponentially harder. Opening his eyes, his center found, Naruto unleashed his pent-up, refined power.

Every single card leapt to the air, spinning in two circles around Naruto and Hanabi, each going in a different direction.

Hanabi clapped happily. Deciding to take it a step further, Naruto closed his eyes once more. He was now feeling the world around him, through the eddies and swirls that made up the Force. Without opening his eyes, Naruto manipulated the dozens of cards flowing around them.

Without even seeing the spectacle, Naruto knew the cards were now soaring around them in intricate patterns, flowing at one pace. Expanding the range of the cards from one another, he made the cards spread into an atom-like pattern, as if Hanabi and he were the nucleus. Finally opening his eyes, feeling he could handle the Force manipulation efficiently now without his full concentration, he saw Hanabi was in awe of his display.

Her mouth was agape, and her eyes followed the circling cards with awe. Without warning, she threw up her arms and went into a long string foreign words and shouts. She finally looked back at Naruto, a big smile playing on her face.

"Uhm, thanks?" he laughed, and she laughed too. The cards fell around them, but they continued to laugh.

* * *

Jackpot. Tenten had hit the Jackpot, just by following her instinct.

The Planet Conqueror had led them straight to Kyuubi. Yet… now she was feeling uneasy. They knew where the target was, but that didn't guarantee success. Especially since he was aboard a CIS flagship, surrounded by smaller, deadlier craft. Though she wasn't especially worried about a space battle, it was what would happen if she got close enough to the Kyuubi to take him out.

The Planet Conqueror was aboard the same ship, and who knew what else stood between Kyuubi and herself.

"Lee… we may have bitten off a lot more than we could chew."

"Then we will clamp our jaws shut, and let our will to overcome this take over!"

"What does that even mean?" Tenten complained, resting her head in her hand, leaning up against the control panel before her.

"It means…. You need to send me in, Ten." His voice was so low, so serious. It completely shocked Tenten into speechlessness.

"Wha-what? That's crazy, Lee! We have to do this on our terms, not theirs! Entering that ship is suic-"

"Stop! That woman paid us, and we took that money. We failed our mission. The only way to regain honor is to-"

"Is to what, exactly, Lee?" shouted Tenten, rising from her seat. "Kill ourselves on this mission because we got antsy? We should wait until he's vulnerable-"

"We can't wait that long. You asked if there was anyone she never wanted to see again! If we don't get rid of him as soon as possible-"

"No, no, no! I wasn't being literal, you idiot!" Tenten groaned in exasperation. "Why are you being so hard headed?"

"I know I can get at him," Lee said with certainty, his face serious. His large eyebrows were brought together, and his eyes were fierce. "Give me the chance, Ten."

"Lee… he's a powerful Force user, and a master swordsman. I couldn't live with myself if I let you fight him alone…"

"I won't be alone, Ten. Master Guy is with me all the time."

Tenten paused. What was he trying to say? Guy was watching him all the time or that he was always in his thoughts? Either way, Tenten didn't see how that should factor into her decision on whether to send in Lee.

"Lee, we can wait for them to land. When he leaves the ship, I'll set out to find the best vantage point to take him out. That's when we should do this."

"This isn't just about him, Ten…" he said slowly, turning away from her to look out the large viewport of the command center in their ship. "This fleet is heading to the Core Worlds. If we don't do anything to help, millions could die."

"So? That's not our problem. We're bounty hunters, Lee! Our allegiance lies with whoever is paying us!"

Shaking his head, Lee's whole body tensed. "These guys represent all that is wrong in the world. They wreak havoc in peaceful places, kill innocents… We can't just allow them to pass us by. We have to do something! We will use the power of youth to repel their calamitous actions!"

Now Tenten saw what was happening. Lee saw not a target, but the Tusken raiders of his past, ready to destroy and pillage. This was personal for him.

Laughing softly, "You want this bad, don't you?"

Lee whipped around, a gleaming smile on his face. He held out a determined fist before him, "Give me the opportunity, Ten, and we could take them out. Put that fiery mind of yours to work, and we will show them our will is stronger!"

Nodding slowly, Tenten began to formulate a plan. "Well, those Tusken raiders really don't know what they did when they came to your village."

Smiling, Lee said, "So, it's on?"

"Oh yeah, it's on."

* * *

Hinata stepped into her bedroom alone, allowing the door to slide close behind her before she completely collapsed. Ever since she was taken from the Getsuei system, something inside her was ripped to shreds. She pulled her original lightsaber from her belt and stared at it. It was the only companion that she had been able to hold onto over the past few years.

"Hanabi…" she whispered softly to herself, cradling her weapon to her chest. She was certain she had felt the girl while she was dreaming. Why was it when she was asleep that her Force powers seemed to be at a peak? However, she had not been able to contact Naruto through that strange connection they shared while sleeping. What was happening with those two?

And Neji. The last time she had seen him, he was lying on the floor bleeding from his head in her room. What had happened when she was kidnapped? The answers were still unclear. When she had awakened from the drug induced slumber, Orochimaru and those two other bastards were nowhere in sight.

She clenched her teeth. The very thought of that snake-like asshole infuriated her. She would kill him, she was certain of that. The next time she saw him, his life would be forfeit.

But when would she ever get the chance? She was always watched now. She was sure that Kyuubi wouldn't let her be in the same system as Orochimaru now.

Thinking back to her mission to speak with Gato, and subsequent acquisition of a new companion, she suddenly felt guilty. Everywhere she went, she seemed to be picking up needful people. Hanabi needed her. Kiba had needed her. Naruto was bullheaded, but she believed that he now knew that he needed her, too. Even Neji needed her, though for a very different reason. His whole life was in preparation to protect the royal bloodline, which she was the last of. And she missed each of them.

She felt a connection to these people at a level that seemed scary. She wanted to protect each of them so badly… yet she was failing so miserably. All she could hope for was that they were all right, and together. If they were together, that would make finding them a million times easier.

Coming out of her guilty trance, she looked up from where she was sitting. The living quarters she had been provided with were nothing special. A small room with a bed and some furnishings, as well as a computer terminal.

Getting up from the floor, she walked to her bed. Sitting on it, still holding her lightsaber, she began wondering how she had ended up there. Her initial motive for joining the CIS was to kill Kyuubi. Then it turned into something else. She slowly began to hate everything that had a hand in her life. She hated the High Council for taking younglings from their parents, for brainwashing them… omitting free will completely. It sickened her.

She hated Kyuubi most of all. He was a ruthless, disgusting monster. His long, furry, red ears were just as menacing as that snarling face that seemed to be a cross between a canine and a human's. She hated how he was so powerful, that his abilities made all before him crumble in weakness.

She hated this malevolent being that seemed to dwell inside her. She had only encountered him once, in a dreamlike state, and he tried to act cordial… but she knew otherwise. If there was such a being that embodied the essence of evil, it was him. He was hiding behind a false visage.

And now she was beginning to hate herself just as much as the others. She was weak, pathetic really… for all the power that seemed to reside within her, she was unable to use it to her full potential. Was it really for the reason that Madara had said? Was she too hung up on the fact that she was responsible for the destruction of Corellia?

In a fit of anger, she activated her lightsaber and lashed out with it. Vvvvvmp, a long, jagged line of molten metal was cooling on the wall.

An idea popping into her head, Hinata slashed away, releasing all her anger into her work. Up, down, diagonal, sideways, curve, circle, slanted slash, twist and stab. Panting hard, her whole body was tense. Her body was curved into the stabbing motion, both arms were stretched out, each of her hands gripping the hilt of her blade. A rough carving of Kyuubi's demonic face was laid out before her, and her humming blade was resting in the dead center of his forehead.

Letting out a long breath, she retracted her blade into the hilt and wiped the few drops of sweat from her hairline.

"Uhh…" gasped a voice directly before her.

Blinking in surprise, Hinata cautiously moved closer to the still cooling wall. Peeking through the hole that she had made, she saw a terrified Kiba on the other side, holding up a plain white shirt that had a smoldering hole in the chest.

Hinata laughed hard then, propping her hand up in a safe area against the wall. She couldn't stop herself. She just kept laughing.

"Hinata," Kiba said tentatively, "is that you?"

Choking on her giggles, she looked through the hole once more to see Kiba's eye staring back at her.

"Hey, Kiba."

A loud groan came from the other room and Kiba recoiled from the hole, pressing the palms of his hands into his forehead. "You scared the shit outta me!"

Laughing again, Hinata managed to get out, "Did I tell you how glad I am that I brought you along?"

Kiba grunted, shaking his head, saying, "Yet, all I can think of his how much I regret it!"

"I can always take you back to Tayuya and Gato's men, if that's what you want." Hinata said knowingly.

Kiba paused, blinking, seemingly mulling it over in his head. "On second thought, I think I feel right at home here."


	22. A Call for Help

Lee snuck across the corridor with the stealth of one that spent years training to hide in the shadows and blind spots. Moving with amazing dexterity, Lee didn't even bother slowing down as a group of rowdy Shock troopers came strolling towards him. Ever the master of a long deceased art, Lee dodged and flitted past them with ease. None of them suspected a thing.

Lee grinned. He was a bounty hunter for a reason: he was immensely adept at assassinations. His Master taught him a form of martial art that was practiced for many centuries before the advent of technology. With organizations like the Jedi coming to power, such techniques were deemed obsolete. Only a very small number of beings in the universe could match Lee's knowledge of these primitive arts, and that put him at an advantage.

Lee swiftly rounded a corner, listening for any sounds of movement. He imagined his body taking on the malleable nature of water, then calmed his mind just as he reached the core of the ship. A massive, reinforced door towered to his left, two troopers standing guard. Crouching at the corner of the catwalk that led to the door, Lee managed to maintain his invisibility by moving only centimeters at a time, staying close to the metal handrails. Taking a deep, silent breath, Lee charged around the corner.

The two barely had time to gasp before both of their heads rolled at Lee's feet, decapitated in one fluid movement. Retracting his blade, Lee pulled out his datapad and plugged it into a port by the door's security terminal. Digits flashed across the sleek screen as it began working its magic.

"Come on…" he whispered, "Come on!"

With a small _beep_, the air locked chamber was suddenly breached as a long _hssssss_ sound alerted him to the opening the sliding door made. It was opening very slowly; it must not have been used very often. Then all hell broke loose as alarms blared and red security lights flashed violently. Lee cursed, squeezing himself into the small gap. Dashing across the catwalk to the long power core that spanned parallel to him, he suddenly realized the immensity of his mission.

"Lee," Tenten's voice crackled over the comlink, "what's going on? What do you think you're doing?" She was now screaming. "Why the hell are you in that room? Get out, Lee, they're coming!"

Lee grinned. He knew they were. Taking his lightsaber from its place at his back, he unleashed its power. With a flick of a switch, it extended several more feet. Just enough reach for him to lean over the control terminal to slash at the long, glowing, rod-like structure before him-

"Stop!" commanded Master Guy's voice.

Lee hesitated for a moment too long. Before he could react, he was tackled from behind and his lightsaber leaped from his hand. Three Shock troopers struggled to maintain him as he resisted.

"Now, what do we have here?" an amused, distinctively feminine voice spoke up.

"Lee? Lee! What's happening?" Tenten screamed, her terror evident.

Lee managed to twist his head just enough to gaze through the bulky bodies of the troopers to catch a glimpse of shiny lavender hair, which was thrown into an amazing hue by the glowing structure this colossal chamber was meant to maintain. "Planet Conqueror," Lee said, his voice deadpan. It was more for Tenten's benefit, so she would know what was going on.

"Hm," she hummed softly, gazing at Lee's lightsaber. "I don't particularly enjoy being called that. However, you've caught me in a good mood. Bring him. And confiscate his comlink."

She turned away swiftly, her cloak billowing slightly.

A hand roughly forced his head to the metal mesh walkway as another shuffled across his body searching for anything that would cause trouble.

"LEE!" Tenten screamed, just before the comlink was ripped away.

The three troopers lifted him to his feet, one gripping each arm, the other holding him in a headlock. They marched him awkwardly out the sliding door, and Lee noticed that the two guards he killed were nowhere in sight, with two fresh sentries to take their place. The door slid shut behind them with an air of finality.

He hoped he had made the right decision to allow himself to be captured.

* * *

Tenten stared in horror as the once lack formation of the ships before her tightened. There was no way she could get close enough to sneak aboard without being seen now.

"Dammit, Lee…" she mumbled, sinking back into her chair. Fiddling with the controls on her right armrest, several holograms popped up of various points on the ship where Lee had dropped mini-holopads. No sign of life on any of them.

Cursing again, Tenten rose once more to her feet. "Lee wouldn't _ever_ let himself be captured, "she reasoned to herself, "So there is no way he got caught off guard." She pondered this for a few more moments, and then frowned. "He lied to me. Dammit, Lee!"

Tenten tapped furiously at her controls for a moment. There was only one man in the entire Galaxy that she knew she could rely on… though she was reluctant to call him. "No, no, no," she laughed nervously. "That was so long ago he won't even remember. Surely he wouldn't hold a grudge." Yet, the more she thought about it, the more she knew she was wrong.

Sighing in resignation, she keyed in his address and made the call.

* * *

Shino was observing the social interactions of the others aboard the ship when his datapad, which hadn't received any data from anyone or anything since he left Coruscant, suddenly alerted him to an incoming call. Pulling it from his coat, Shino stared at the datapad thoughtfully. It was an unknown caller.

"Hey, Shino! What'cha got there?" Ino asked curiously, trying to include him in their conversation for the millionth time. His face turned towards her, his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses.

"That is none of your concern, Jedi. Avert your attention." Then he stood and turned from her, examining the datapad once more. He couldn't decide whether to answer or not. Finally, he did decide. He deactivated the datapad and stored it back in his coat.

Settling back into his seat, Shino observed the several Force users in the Pit, ever the observer for the solution to his problem. Then a crackling noise silenced everyone in the room. Suddenly, a young, worried face with her hair in two buns at the back of her head appeared over the Pit in a large hologram.

"Shino, what the hell? Why didn't you answer my call?"

He merely stared back at her as she gazed angrily at him. Every face in the room looked back and forth between the two. Naruto rushed in, and then suddenly halted when he saw the large, floating head.

"How did you access this ship's com?" he demanded.

The head turned towards Naruto, a questioning look on her face. "Who are these people, Shino? I never knew you to be the type to have friends. Are they helping you on your research or something?"

"One could describe them as my colleagues, yes. What do you want, Tenten?"

"Hold up," Naruto spoke angrily. "Did you just hack my ship?"

"Shush now," the woman said condescendingly, "we are talking. Shino, I need your help."

The man stiffened at her plea. He turned from her and said simply, "No."

"Please," she begged, tears welling in her eyes. "Lee is in danger."

The Aburame seemed to recoil at the mentioning of Lee. "Why should that be of consequence to me? You deserted me. You knew…" he suddenly looked around at the people listening in on his conversation. "No. That's my answer, and you cannot change it."

At this, the tears finally fell. "I don't know what I'll do without him," she whimpered.

"Hey, don't cry," Naruto said uneasily. He looked uncomfortable, especially since he was cajoling a hacker. "I'm a Jedi of the Galactic Republic. How may I serve you, citizen?"

At the mention of Jedi, the girl froze. Then she disappeared from the display. "_Warped_," he commanded his ship, "backtrace that caller. I want to know where she is and then take us there."

"What?" everyone in the room proclaimed, except the ever reserved Shino.

"That woman breached Jedi security and therefore has a higher priority than our rendezvous at Coruscant. _Warped_, have you finished the trace?"

"Yes, Jedi Uzumaki," the ship answered formally, "changing coordinates now."

"That's impossible!" Shikamaru proclaimed, rising from his seat. "No ship can stray from its course while in hyperspace."

"Ah, that shows how much you know about my ship," Naruto replied with a smile.

"Uzumaki," Shino said, his emotions betraying his calm voice as Naruto felt his anger through the Force. "We cannot assist that woman. Whatever situation she has found herself incapable of handling is one we would do well to avoid. Heed my warning, Jedi." And then he promptly left the room.

Naruto grimaced after the Aburame. Whoever this female was, she knew how to get under Shino's skin.

"All right, Ino, you and I are the only Jedi aboard this vessel. We'll have to be the ones to help her. The rest of you should stay put on the ship."

"What?" Chouji complained, standing from the bench in the Pit. "We've been travelling for days and I'm ready for some action!"

Shikamaru groaned from his place beside Ino, slouched low in his seat. "Come on, Chouji, don't make him renege on that incredible offer. This is the first time since we've been with Ino that I've been able to take my mid-day naps."

Ino punched him lightly in the arm and stuck her tongue out at him. She then looked up seriously at Naruto. "I'm ready."

Naruto nodded, turning from the three. "I hope so."

* * *

Hinata's day was bearable until she found out someone had actually infiltrated the ship. How was that even possible?

"Who is this guy?" Kiba muttered under his breath, walking next to Hinata, their prisoner being dragged a safe distance behind them.

"Trouble. Kyuubi is not going to be happy." Hinata sighed, throwing a sidelong glance at the prisoner. He was in a chokehold and each of his arms were being held by another trooper. Hinata noticed he looked completely calm. Grimacing, she pressed her palm into the scanning pad to open one of the many redundant security doors before she would reach Kyuubi at the center of the ship.

"This guy reeks of determination," Kiba commented, scratching his nose. "Something seems off. He had plenty of time to do serious damage to the reactor… but he didn't. What gives?"

"That's what we're going to find out. Kyuubi, despite all his brute display of raw strength, is intimately intertwined with the Force. He'll be able to read this guy no problem – then he'll act accordingly…" and that was what Hinata disliked the most - despite that this man had breached every security protocol on the ship undetected, he had killed two guards _and_ hacked the mainframe to gain access to the reactor. No matter how this interview turned out, he would most likely be tortured for information and then executed. Hinata was firmly against any torture of any method.

"So… do I have to come, too?" the Gurlanin asked tentatively, a nervous laughter piercing the still air afterwards.

"Oh, you coward," Hinata teased, "is the little doggy afraid of the big, bad wolf?"

"I take offense to that," Kiba sniffed, "besides, he looks nothing like any wolf I've seen. Maybe he's some sort of weird, deformed experiment that –"

He stopped cold in his tracks, just before the door Hinata unlocked opened. There stood the ever livid Master of the Force, Kyuubi Uzumaki.

"What were you saying, you filthy mutt?" Kyuubi growled, his fingers tapping against the lightsaber hilt on his belt.

"N-nothing! How _lovely_ you look today, is all. Well, I gotta go-" and then he transformed, running on his powerful legs as fast as he could in the opposite direction.

Hinata couldn't help but facepalm, then peeked at Kyuubi from the gap between her fingers. "Intruder, Master. He somehow made it down to Reactor A4, dispatched the guards, then cracked through our security protocols and was about to do irreparable damage before we intervened. What should we do with him?"

"Release him," Kyuubi commanded, causing the three Shock Troopers to hesitate. "I said, _release him_."

And then the intruder was free.

"Now leave us. Hinata, you stay." Kyuubi was sizing the man with the bowl-cut up with his eyes. The three guards complied immediately, then Kyuubi stepped aside, pointing into his training chamber. "In. Both of you."

Hinata waited for the prisoner to walk in first, then she followed suit, her palm resting against her lightsaber the entire time.

"What are you doing?" Hinata muttered under her breath as she passed her Master, knowing Kyuubi's enhanced hearing would catch it. He glared at her.

"Don't question me, girl." He strode into the dimly lit room, the crimson glow of the lighting only serving to make him look more demonic. The door slid shut silently, and Hinata knew that, no matter what, the only person that could get through that door would be Kyuubi himself.

Hinata stayed alert, observing her Master as he strode to the intruder.

"I can sense your hatred. Your burning desire to kill me –to kill, even, my apprentice. Well, here's your chance. Hinata, give the man his lightsaber."

Unwillingly, Hinata tossed the thick-eyebrowed man his weapon. He caught it deftly, twirling it right side up then thumbing it on. The vibrant green blade reflected in his dark eyes, and Hinata could feel a power in the man that she had not sensed before.

"Yes, there it is. I can feel every injustice you have suffered – every person that has denied your value. The Jedi Order was careless when they threw you away; and what is this? Master Guy took you in… so you were his pet project." Kyuubi growled deep in his throat, something Hinata knew to be his form of a chuckle.

"Don't speak Master Guy's name!"

"Then please, by all means, give me yours." Kyuubi stared at the man evenly, not even making a move to activate his own weapons.

"Lee. And it's the last name you'll ever hear!" Then he charged.

Kyuubi ducked the horizontal slash at his head, which turned out only to be a diversion. Lee twisted his body around as Kyuubi righted himself, bringing his foot up with swift intent. Kyuubi expertly blocked with a cross-arm defense before his face, but Lee managed to use the returning momentum to perform a small flip in midair, parallel to the floor, bringing his lightsaber back up.

The attack forced Kyuubi to retreat briefly as Lee fell into a roll, almost immediately back on his feet. As quick as this Lee person was, Kyuubi was quicker. Lee's lightsaber wielding hand slammed against the floor, Kyuubi's clawed fist restraining the struggling wrist. Kyuubi was now atop Lee, his armored knees pressing into the man's own, soft body armor on Lee's chest. Lee's free hand whipped up, but was caught and restrained just as quickly as his other arm.

Hinata gulped in a breath of air, surprised that she had forgot to breathe during the brief exchange. They were both _fast_.

"This is what you come to me with? It's pathetic," Kyuubi growled out, his crimson skinned face lowering down to look Lee in the eyes. Lee stared intently back, though Hinata could tel he was struggling for breath under her Master's weight.

Without warning, a pulse of Force power so strong erupted from the downed man that Hinata was thrown off her feet. She crashed into the wall behind her, which had been crumpled outwards by the Force power. Rolling back on to the damaged floor, grasping her lightsaber, Hinata looked up to see what the hell had just happened. In the center of the room where Kyuubi had Lee pinned down, Lee stood in a small, perfectly round indention. His head was tilt fully back, his gaze set determinedly at the ceiling. Hinata looked up as well, only to find her Master's body wedged between the exposed girders and railings of the crumpled back durasteel film that made up the ceiling.

He moaned and his body lurched down slightly. Lee lifted his lightsaber, pointing straight up. Hinata saw his intention: he planned to impale Kyuubi when he fell.

Here was Hinata's chance. Kyuubi could die now, and she would be free of him forever.

Then Kyuubi slipped from the metallic grasp and began his descent. There was no way Hinata could make it across the room in time to stop Lee.

A power like nothing Hinata felt before filled up her being. She thrust out her arms, her back arching into the outward push of raw Force power. The condensed ball of power took on a translucent form as it left her body, rocketing out faster than she could track. As the power travelled, the release was too much for her and she fell to her knees, her hands instinctively reaching out to break her fall.

A loud crash alerted her that her attack hit _something_, and Hinata looked up. Kyuubi knelt in the semi-crater that Lee had made, a victorious smirk playing across his features as he stared back at Hinata.

Lee lay immobile at the foot of the opposite wall, his lightsaber deactivated beside his right hand which was thrown out beside him. Hinata stood on shaky legs, not exactly sure of what had just transpired.

"You've passed my test, Hinata." Kyuubi congratulated, his rough voice as close to pleasant as she had ever heard it. "So you have earned my trust."

"You mean this was all _planned_?" Hinata asked, disgusted as well as awed.

"You think this trash could come aboard _my_ ship, kill _my_ men, and get that close to _my_ reactor without my knowing? No, without my _assistance?_" His voice was chiding, not condescending. Hinata didn't care what inflection he used, she was pissed.

"So you let two men die so you could adminster to me this – this test? What was the purpose of the ordeal, anyway?"

The man's foxish features reverted to a primal grin, and he stood to his full height. "I would let this filth attack me, even overcome me, to see what your reaction would be. You didn't disappoint."

"What if I had let him kill you?" Hinata retorted.

Kyuubi let out a bark of laughter, and his head turned in the defeated man's direction. "I could have easily flattened him with my willpower alone."

"D-don't be so s-sure," came a weak voice from across the room. The man was now struggling into an all-fours position, his hand sliding slowly to his weapon. When his hand finally grasped the hilt, he coughed out, "I'm not finished y-yet."

When he lifted his face, Hinata saw that blood dripped from the corners of his mouth. An overwhelming feeling of sympathy engulfed her, only to be met by an equally strong feeling of anger. He had killed two people. Hinata wasn't likely to forget that.

Then again – how many people had she killed on Corellia?

"You fool. If you had stayed down, I probably would have let the droids deal with you," Kyuubi rolled his shoulders and cracked his thick neck. "Hell, I may have even let you escape back to your little girlfriend in the nice little ship of yours. But now…" He started towards Lee.

Lee pulled himself to his feet, leaning heavily on the wall, his lip curled in a snarl. "Don't you underestimate me!"

This only drew another barking laugh from Kyuubi, who was now directly before the man. Hinata moved so she could have a clear view of what happened next.

Kyuubi stared down at the young man with contempt. "You're what's wrong with this whole galaxy, boy. You harbor a sense of undeserved confidence – that putrid feeling of invincibility. You think that you are undefeatable, and that make you cocky and stupid. You lack patience. Everything I wish to eradicate."

Coughing a spray of blood onto Kyuubi's armor, Lee managed to stand at his full height without assistance. "And you represent everything that is destructive to this galaxy. You're ugly and unyouthful and full of anger! I cannot be stopped by the likes of y-"

But his words were cut off by Kyuubi's hand wrapping around his throat and lifting him into the air. The lightsaber flicked on, but his arm only made a shivering movement. Hinata knew the shivering as a sign of struggle against Kyuubi's Force powers restraining his movement.

"Listen here, you contemptible rot. You've served your purpose here, so I no longer need you. But I think you could be of further use to me. That ship you left recently made a call that I was able to trace, to none other than my son himself. I have a feeling that he'll be too stupid to check out where it is he's heading into, so I'm fairly certain he'll be here shortly. Perhaps if I keep you as a hostage, I can get him aboard. Otherwise, I could kill you right now. Your choice." With that he dropped the man and disarmed him in one movement.

Lee coughed loudly from his crumpled position, blood splattering the damaged alloy that made up the floor. "I'd rather die."

Kyuubi nodded, grinning. "Too bad."

* * *

Naruto chewed on his lip as he stared through the viewport on the bridge. His whole body was filled with frenetic energy that hyped him up and made him nervous at the same time. Something seemed off.

"Ino, do you sense anything amiss?" Naruto asked, looking over his shoulder at the blonde.

She shrugged, "I've never had a very acute sense for danger or anything like that." Then, grinning, she added, "After all, I charged straight into an ambush back in the Getsuei system. If I had any idea of Hinata's power…"

She trailed off there, her gaze stretching away from him into the depths of space. Literally.

Naruto sighed, looking forward once more at the blue tunnel that _Warped _sped through.

Shino was as unhelpful as ever. He wouldn't explain who this woman was nor how he knew her. But it was Naruto's duty as a Jedi to help those in need; after all, she _did_ look desperate.

"_Warped_, what's the ETA on our arrival?"

"Ten standard minutes," the ship chirped, its mechanical voice slightly too sharp.

Hanabi tugged at Naruto's coat, the same one that he got from Shino days ago. Looking down, Naruto noticed an intense look on the little girl's face.

"What's the matter, Hanabi?" Naruto kneeled down next to her, immersing himself in the Force in order to get a feel for what she was trying to tell him.

Immediately she began babbling in her own language, furiously and with intent. Naruto had a sinking sensation she knew something about where they were going that he did not. Was it possible that she could sense danger better than he could?

Naruto enveloped Hanabi in a warm embrace, softly cajoling her into silence. "Whatever awaits us, little one, I'll protect you. "

Hanabi hugged him back, nuzzling silently against his shoulder. With their close proximity, Naruto could now feel what she felt through his connection with the Force. Wherever they were going, the CIS was waiting.

"_Warped_," Naruto barked, "switch to stealth mode. Silence all frequencies and engage our active camouflage. When we exit hyperspace, immediately set a course on a vector in which we can easily jump back to hyperspace. Be ready to take evasive action, as well."

"Understood," the computer whirred out.

"Thank you," Naruto mumbled, kissing the top of Hanabi's head.

Looking up, Naruto noticed Ino staring at him and Hanabi, stars in her eyes.

"You two are soooo cute!" she gushed, making Naruto roll his eyes.

"Will you do me a favor and take her to the bottom of the ship? And will you stay with her in case you need to use the only escape pod aboard?"

Ino looked at him seriously for a moment, then made a curt nod.

Naruto coaxed Hanabi off of him, and then let Ino take the little Hyuuga's hand. Standing up, Naruto nodded thanks to Ino, who only stood there for a moment.

"Don't let it come to that, Jedi Uzumaki. This girl needs you."

"Yeah," Naruto said, his voice etched with determination, "I know. Keep her safe."

Naruto turned from the two as they walked out of the bridge, the hissing of air alerting him to the opening and closing of the sliding doorway.

Just as the ship left hyperspace, Naruto felt it. His father's presence. And Hinata's.

"Here we go again…"

* * *

Hinata gasped. '_Naruto!_' she screamed in her mind, a shot of adrenaline taking away all the physical pain she was in.

"Does that hurt?" the medic asked, pausing for a moment to look up at Hinata from his work. He wore a full body suit that looked to be battle ready, and his face was covered by a mask. But she saw in his green eyes that he was human.

"No, go on," she said absently, her mind elsewhere. Though she sat atop a medical bench in the hospital wing of the ship, wearing only her bra and panties, as well as the never-ending supply of gauze that was currently being applied to her, she felt a billion miles away.

Or, rather, mere kilometers away. Where Naruto was.

Breathing in deeply, Hinata tried to focus her mind enough to reach out with the Force and collect more information… but the breath sent sharp spikes of pain into her ribs. Her fractured ribcage seemed like nothing more than a nuisance at the moment, blocking her from sensing her daughter, as she now felt about Hanabi. She so desperately _needed_ to know that Hanabi was alive.

"All done," the medic chimed, pulling his hands away from her. Immediately, Hinata hopped off the bench and began dressing in her usual skintight, black suit.

"I recommend a few days of rest. I've injected you with a concentrated dose of bacta to speed up the healing process, but any strenuous activity could result in the multiple fractures lengthening, or worse."

"Duly noted," Hinata seethed, zipping up the back of her suit. The adrenaline was ebbing away, and with each pulse of her heart came another throb of pain.

"In fact, you should go back to your room and-"

Hinata's glare pierced through the man and the lights flickered. The medic decided to shut his mouth. Smart move.

Seconds later, Hinata half jogged through the long corridors of the ship, looking for a quiet place to meditate. She found the perfect pot in a droid closet.

Sitting cross-legged in a clear spot amongst the junk, Hinata steadied her breathing and let her focus shift from the physical to the metaphysical. Her consciousness drifted amongst the swirling nature of the Force, until she attuned herself enough to control the great power within her.

Gathering her strength, Hinata sent probing tendrils of the Force out into the void in search of Naruto's ship. She had felt him only briefly, but she knew he was close.

There! His entire being embodied a sense of determination and power that Hinata couldn't help but love him all the more for it. Struggling to maintain her focus now, Hinata folded her power around the ship, searching it's depths for the identities of the other sentient beings aboard.

Right off, she could sense four other Force users. More searching and she found two non Force users, but powerful all the same. Two of the users she knew as the people who had raided her castle in the search for castle, and that meant one of the people without Force abilities was most likely the large one that accompanied them. Searching harder, she found Neji… but his being seemed deeply disturbed. This worried her and made her concentration all the more difficult to maintain. The other person with the lack of Force abilities she didn't recognize.

Her heart broke… That left only one more person, one who was knowledgeable of the Force. She didn't see the point in searching further, and was about to come back to her body, when…

A rush of love and need overwhelmed her. The feeling was so strong, her body immediately reacted by enfolding the source in her own protective layer of power and love.

_Hanabi? Is that really you?_

_M-mother!_

_Hanabi! Oh, Hanabi…_

Hinata's strength bolstered, and she wrapped Hanabi in every positive feeling she could muster.

_Stay safe with Naruto. He'll take care of you. I'll find a way to make it safe for us all to be together again. I promise._

As painful as it was, Hinata had to jerk herself back to the physical realm as Hanabi called out for her. Now was not a time to lose her head. She had to get her daughter out of the system, fast. She couldn't risk Kyuubi finding out about Hanabi.

Standing up, Hinata ignored the screams of protest coming from her damaged sides and back. The closet door slid open and she stepped out into the corridor.

Now… how could she do it discretely?

"Hey, Hinata. How are you feeling?" Kiba asked as he walked up to her, his eyes full of concern. "I've been looking all over for you. After I heard you were in the medical bay, I came straight away… but you had already left. Wait, why were you in a droid closet?"

Hinata stared at him for a moment. Then an evil grin lit her features.

"Uh… Hinata?" Kiba gulped, backing away.

"Kiba. I think I've finally found a way to put you to good use."


	23. Hinata's Plan

"More and more people are dying," the voice grumbled.

"I know," Kyuubi spat, fingering his lightsaber hilt. The blue, flickering image before him was too heavily shadowed for him to see properly, but he knew exactly who the person was. And that the man was contacting Kyuubi at all spoke volumes of how dire the situation was actually becoming.

"We can't do this without the both of them. Have you won her over yet?"

"I think I'm making progress," Kyuubi said slowly, unusually coolly. This man was not his enemy; in fact, he was his most valued ally. Perhaps his only real one. He owed it to the man to keep calm. "But she still hates me. I can feel it."

"That's not good enough. Kushina's sacrifice musn't go in vain-"

"I know that," Kyuubi roared, actually _hurt_ that the man would mention Kushina to him. Kyuubi knew more than anyone what Kushina had lost. Yet, no one seemed to care what he lost personally by her death. "I know that. He's presenting a particularly difficult challenge all his own. The two of them together are a potent combination. I'm not so sure I could handle them all at once."

"You must." The man paused. "Otherwise, everything we have strived for these past twenty years will have been for nothing. We don't have much time left."

"He'll be here soon. I have a new tactic."

Despite the terrible lighting, Kyuubi could see the man was clearly unhappy.

"Yes. One I'm not too fond of. Do what you must." Then the image faded away, and Kyuubi's body loosened, the tension rolling off of him.

"These two will be the death of me," he growled to himself, turning in his swivel chair and rising to his feet.

* * *

Kiba eased out of the Confederate flagship in a sleek stealth ship, its engines not even making a whine nor even registering a heat signature. Hinata must have closed the hatch immediately behind him, because it shut as soon as the two-man craft entered the void.

Yet, it was no void, as Kiba saw with awe. Hundreds of spacecraft filled his vision, making him gulp down a few choice words. Damn, that Hinata was trying to kill him!

She had given him the approximate location of the ship she wanted him to track down, but he was still a little uncertain about whether it existed at all.

With its active camouflage, silenced frequencies, and lack of a heat signature, Kiba couldn't help but drool at the craft's specs. He had always been a lover of any form of vehicle, but his real talent lay in piloting. When in space, he felt he could outmaneuver anybody. And that was now his mission: weave through hundreds of battleships undetected, and find an even stealthier ship. Easy.

"Hinata," Kiba whispered to himself, "You're lucky I'm an honorable bandit. Anyone else would have stolen this beauty and made for the nearest outer rim planet…"

Then he began thinking about that, and groaned inwardly. Then he laughed.

"I guess it doesn't matter, anyway. Anyone to double-cross you would likely end up a dead man…" And then he shuddered. Hinata was a special person, all right. How could someone so innocent looking, so helpful and pretty, be the Planet Conqueror? To hold so much power in that slender figure….

Kiba whistled aloud. If he didn't complete this mission, he'd probably have to run for the rest of his life. And what a short life that would likely be.

"Time to do what I do best, then," Kiba told himself determinedly.

* * *

Hinata stood in the empty hangar, which had held one of her personal ships. One she had designed herself, in order for it to be completely undetectable, even to CIS technology. Surprisingly enough, Kyuubi had approved the plans when she had presented them to him, and shortly thereafter, she had it.

CIS productivity was no joke. Nearly every planet in the Confederacy was hardcore industrialist, and this allowed for a mainstreamed war effort. With Sidious's expert leadership, the CIS was the perfect war machine. Despite Hinata's dismay for having contributed to the destruction of a whole planet, she felt a small, unmistakable little pride in it… and she hated herself for it. But that's what soldiers do, and she was sure that, if given the power, the Republic would do the same thing she had.

Yet… she hadn't really wanted to do it. She had tried to stop it. But the power… was like it had a mind of its own. Which led her back to the source of her confusion about herself: Madara. Just who was this guy, and why hadn't she heard from him since she had left the Getsuei system? And what was he talking about?

A sharp pain shot through her upper abdomen, her fractured ribs protesting. Clenching her teeth, Hinata turned on her heels and marched out of the hangar. It was now time to engage the second part of her plan… and she needed Kyuubi to do it. Walking down the narrow corridors of the ship, her datapad beeped, alerting her to an incoming call.

Not stopping, Hinata plucked the electronic device from her belt, and took a moment to appreciate its survival through the assassination attempt earlier. Answering the transmission, Kyuubi's head popped up from the device.

"Come to my chambers," he growled. "It's time I make good on our arrangement."

Showing no outward surprise, Hinata merely nodded and ended the call. What luck! Then she caught herself; had she almost felt gratitude to that monster? What was wrong with here, these days? First she saves the beast… now, she almost felt a positive feeling towards him.

Hinata shook her head, and then winced again as the domino effect of her body's movements enraged her injured ribcage for what seemed the thousandth time.

Hinata made her way through the labyrinthine walkways until she finally arrived at the sealed blastdoors that led into Kyuubi's dwelling. The place where that Lee person had made his stand and lost. They opened and Hinata stepped inside.

"I have a plan," Kyuubi spoke, standing above a bound and unconscious Lee. "I propose we use this…" Kyuubi glanced contemptuously down at the man lying at his feet, "…thing as bait. We tell Naruto that in exchange for this man's life, he must come aboard the ship and be my prisoner."

Hinata stared at her Master for a moment. Then she laughed. Then gasped, doubling over, hugging her waist. Despite her pain, a grin formed on her lips, unseen by her Master. He was completing the next part of her plan all on his own.

Kyuubi let out a bark of laughter, "The Planet Conqueror disabled by some weakling like this? I'm shocked."

Hinata lifted her head enough to glare up at the man, and then slowly regained her stature. Sighing, she said, "He doesn't even know this guy. What makes you think he'll agree?"

Kyuubi grinned then, his horrible teeth glistening white, "I have sensed, through this filth," he gave the man another condescending glare, "the chain of events he has set off. There is a woman waiting in a ship for his return, but knows of his capture. She contacted Naruto's ship, knowing a man aboard it. Naruto, ensnared in his foolish Jedi doctrine, is now coming to help. He'll be honor-bound as a Jedi to accept my conditions."

Hinata eyed the Master of the Force warily, then asked, "How do you know?"

Turning from Hyuuga, Kyuubi spoke softly, "I was once a Jedi. A more devoted one, there was not. Believe me; he will accept."

Hinata shrugged her indifference. All was going according to her plan, regardless.

* * *

When Naruto had hacked the hacker's ship, the woman didn't seem as distraught as he would have expected. His ship's computer had actively tracked her ship and monitored its movements. With a little help from Shikamaru, Naruto had infiltrated her systems and took control. It was child's play to dock after that. And now that he was standing before his prisoner, she looked downright distracted.

"Explain what happened, then maybe we can help," Naruto said reasonably.

The woman – Tenten – looked up at him with surprise, as if she had forgotten he was there. She shook her head, but not in a disagreeing manner. More of a reflex to pull herself together, Naruto observed.

"We – ah, Lee and myself – were tracking this man… Kyuubi –"she paused when she noticed the look of surprise on Naruto's face, but then went on. "We finally caught him in-between hyperspace jumps, and the opportunity presented itself. Lee… he argued that if we didn't stop him now, millions… billions of lives could perish!" She leaned forward in her seat and buried her hands in her hands miserably.

"You… are part of the Republic forces?" Ino asked, confused. From across the room, Shino shook his head and grunted.

"She's a bounty hunter. Whoever hired her services doubtless parted with a substantial sum of capital. We shouldn't be here, Jedi. This woman has orchestrated her own demise. Let us relieve ourselves of the burden of watching it unfold."

"Shino!" the distraught woman cried, looking up, tears spilling from her eyes. The cloaked man stood as far away as possible as he could from her, without actually leaving the bridge. He made eye contact with her, briefly, then looked out the viewport.

"A massive armada such as this is no fluke, Jedi. This is an attack force bent on eradicating Republic defenses in a decisive engagement. While I have no positive emotions towards the Republic, I do not wish to exist under Confederate rule. Our only logical choice is to regroup at Coruscant and pray that this fleet remains stationary for an adequate enough timeframe to allow us to warn the Republic." His voice carried the same, emotionless monotone as usual… but his voice seemed a lot more strained.

"Why don't we just send a transmission?" Chouji asked, through a mouthful of food.

"Because," Shikamaru answered with a long sigh, "the CIS would intercept it, track us, and destroy us. If they haven't already," he looked pointedly at Tenten. Her transmission earlier meant that her ship's stealth may be compromised.

"If the CIS knew where we were, they'd have attacked by now… right?" Ino offered.

Naruto shook his head, his face squinting as he thought. "Not necessarily. They could be waiting to see our intentions, or they may be laying some sort of trap."

"None of that matters!" Tenten finally wailed, standing. "We have to save Lee. We _have_ to!" Then she turned to Shino, throwing out an open hand in an emphatic manner, saying, "I know you don't like him, Shino, but he's a good guy! He had nothing to do with what happened!"

Shino chuckled, silencing everyone. He had _never_ done that before. He turned towards the group, then pulled down his hood, and removed his glasses. His eyes were an intense olive color, and his hair was long and messy, yet not unkempt. His glare rested in Tenten's direction, actually making her take a step back.

"You deserted me," he spoke, his voice a heartbreakingly low murmur. "I told you I was dying, and you simply abandoned me on Coruscant to attend to my own affairs. You're the only person I ever opened up to, the only person I trusted enough to reveal my problems to. And when I was no longer as useful… you replaced me with that green-clad imbecile." He looked around at the others in the room, his anger seeming to melt away, and his facial expressions and body language quickly turning placid. He replaced his glasses coolly, then spoke neutrally, "However, as you can see, I am still alive. And now that you've deemed me useful again, you've called upon me for assistance. I refuse. I will never exonerate you of the pain you have caused me."

Silence ensued, and Naruto watched his normally quiet acquaintance turn and stare out the viewport once more. Tenten shifted her weight, and then simply fell back into her seat, her face in her hands.

Scratching the back of his head, Naruto simply said, "Well, I'm stumped. But I do know one thing. We have to do something."

"Very helpful, Naruto," Shikamaru sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Then a figure popped out of Tenten's holo-projectors. A giant Kyuubi stood in the bridge, his visceral grin pointed straight at Naruto. "Hello, son."

Naruto's lipped curled at being addressed as the sith's offspring. "Kyuubi," he acknowledged. He had not gotten over the attack on Hinata's castle in the Getsuei system. Thinking about the attack, Naruto wondered if Kyuubi even knew about Hanabi or Neji. If not, Naruto was glad he had decided to leave the two of them on his ship should a quick escape be needed.

"I see you're still recklessly endangering yourself," the man grumbled condescendingly. "You're so much like your mother."

Naruto crossed his arms, retorting, "It's too bad you dishonor her by your actions since her death."

Kyuubi's grin quickly turned into a painful snarl, "Don't speak of that which you know nothing, boy. Your mother sacrificed everything for you, and your ignorance does nobody any favors."

Naruto chuckled, shaking his head slowly. "I know that my mother was a Jedi, as you once were. If she sacrificed everything for me, then she also sacrificed everything in the name of the Republic. As a Jedi. I'm sure you remember the code, _father_." Naruto bit out the last word venomously.

To Naruto's surprise, the man laughed outright. "Perhaps it is your knowledge of the code that is flawed, son. I've witnessed you break it on multiple occasions."

"Enough of this!" screamed Tenten, who was now standing, fists clenched. "Where's Lee?"

Kyuubi turned his gaze on the woman; his gnarled facial expressions seemed akin to someone examining an annoying insect, "Currently on the brink of death." He then turned his gaze back to Naruto. "But it is within your power to save him."

Naruto didn't like this. He could feel the trap coming, even without using the force. Knowing his duty, he nodded. "What do you want?"

Kyuubi grinned, his pointed teeth making it look more sinister than the verb implies. "Oh, not too much. Just… you."

Naruto nodded solemnly, glancing around the ship briefly. "What if I refuse?"

"Ah," Kyuubi answered with a long, knowing sigh, "that _is_ the question, isn't it? I'll give you a few minutes to decide." And then his image disappeared.

"He knows where we are," Shino said immediately, a tone of urgency almost being conveyed through his even words.

"The Republic has to be warned," Ino conceded, biting her lip.

"I don't like this situation at all," Shikamaru groaned.

"Munch munch muuuunch," Chouji agreed.

Suddenly Tenten stood up, a blaster in her hands. Naruto's reflexes were faster, and the weapon was immediately sliced in half by his lightsaber. He looked pityingly at her. "You don't need to force me," he said, resigned. "I will save your friend." Then he retracted his blade.

Tenten crumbled to the floor, sobbing. "I'm sorry. I really, really am…"

Naruto shook his head, and then stared around at the silent room. "Take my ship and get back to Coruscant. Tell them the situation. I'll stay with Tenten and help her friend. I'm sure… I'll be fine."

Everyone but Tenten looked at him for a moment, giving him silent reassurances. Meaningless but appreciated. Then they followed through with his orders, and it was in no time that Kyuubi's overbearing visage presented itself once more.

"Have you decided, my son?"

Looking at the collapsed woman beside him, Naruto could only feel the void that emanated from her. Her pain was overwhelming, forcing him to try and dull his connection with the Force. Naruto nodded and looked directly at his father.

"Was there ever a choice, really?"

Kyuubi grinned maliciously, "Now you're catching on."

* * *

Kiba's craft pulled under the position he suspected his target to be. Hinata's ship was equipped with an ancient technology called radar, which was basically of no use in detecting a ship. Unless you knew that it was of no use.

The airspace for several kilometers was completely filled with Confederate ships, sending the radar signal bouncing around crazily. Generally, ships redirected the signal or bent it around the ship without letting it register a ping. With the variety of ships around, the signal was acting seemingly unpredictably… until Kiba realized the purpose for this archaic tech. Hinata was definitely a sly one.

The discrepancies in the signal could be used to locate the ships visible to him. As soon as he constructed a map of the signal-to-ship correlation, he determined that a specific spot was the exception to the pattern. The spot he was currently settled in, just beside an inconspicuous asteroid. It also helped that the asteroid was big enough to give off a ping, yet wasn't.

"Well, Hinata. I've made it this far," the Inuzuka man whispered to himself, his fingers flickering over the console before him to give the ship miniscule adjustments. "I won't fail you now."

With those words said, he gave the ship a tiny nudge… and hit something solid!

With a smirk of victory, Kiba howled, "Gotcha!"

* * *

Hinata sat beside her prisoner, arms curled around her midriff, meditating silently. Every once in a while, the man beside her would grunt, but she paid him no mind. Her pain had grown a lot worse since her bacta injection, and she hoped that meant it was working. Otherwise, it would mean she had overexerted herself while making preparations for her plan.

"Why don't you…" the man coughed, "just kill me? Tenten… Would never surrender to the likes of you."

Deciding meditation wasn't the best course of action at the moment, Hinata looked over at the bound man. He was in an awkward position, laying face down, but his legs almost completely right side up. She wondered, briefly, why he did not correct himself. Instead of asking, she merely assumed he was too tired to move.

"It's not you or your girlfriend that we're after," Hinata said indifferently. "You're just the means to get what I want."

"And what… is that?"

"The same thing you want," Hinata confided, examining her original lightsaber. "The same thing everyone wants." Happiness. That's all she wanted now.

There was a brief pause before the man answered, but he finally croaked out, "Your… death?"

Hinata had to give pause at that remark. She looked over at him, blinking. Could that be true? Did everyone want her dead for what happened on Corellia? Is that what would make everyone happy? How would more death help anyone at this point?

"Why? Why… did so many… people have to die?" This sentence cost him several lung piercing coughs. Hinata glared at him, her anger building up. Who was he to question what happened? He wasn't there! He didn't see her try desperately to contain it!

"Just… die," the man said with a long sigh as his fit ended.

Hinata stood up suddenly, her anger now supercharging every cell in her body. Power flowed off of her in dark waves – wisps of smoky tendrils as black as void. Despite his low Midichlorian count, Lee could still sense what had just transpired, and his fear seemingly gave him enough energy to turn over and look at her.

"Wh-what are you?" he gasped, wide-eyed.

Hinata's fist clenched so tightly around her lightsaber that there was a sharp _pop_. Suddenly, purple sparks spouted from the weapon, lightning trails of electricity spiraled around the hilt, occasionally burning her hand. But she didn't care. She was sick of carrying the weight of countless deaths, and tired of this man and his incessant accusations.

The dark aura she gave off began seeping into her lightsaber, until the disruptions in the cylindrical piece faded. Flicking it on, Hinata smiled at the blade that emerged. It swallowed all light and color; black was nowhere near the right word to describe its hue… or, rather, lack of one. The blade consumed all light and even seemed to suck in her vision if she looked at it too hard.

By then, the man was shuffling away from her as fast as he could while still in his restraints.

"What's the matter?" Hinata cooed, her ribs no longer bothering her. Nothing was bothering her now. "I thought you wanted me dead?"

"Monster!" he croaked, his back hitting a wall.

Hinata gave a vicious grin, and, unbeknownst to her, her milky lavender eyes turned black as coal. Giving the blade a whirl at her right, she stalked forth, her prey now growing pale with fright.

"Hinata!" Kyuubi growled from across the room to her right, at the blastdoor. Hinata ignored him and leapt forward with a snarl, her lightsaber arcing straight for Lee's neck.

Only three inches away from the man's neck, her blade came to an abrupt halt. Glaring down at the crimson arc of energy preventing her from sating her bloodlust, Hinata spat, "Get out of my way."

Kyuubi chuckled, maneuvering himself in front of Lee and bring both of their lightsabers before them in a lock. "I admire your renewed vigor. But we need this man to get Naruto."

The room dimmed further. "We don't need this trash. We don't need anybody. Naruto will come eventually."

"You're not thinking straight," Kyuubi continued, pressing forward, forcing Hinata back. Then she drew upon her immense power to stop the shuffling retreat.

"Get out of my way!" With that, she shoved coiled layers of the Force around her body lunged forward, throwing his lightsaber upwards and her own out to her right. With his defenses open, she thrust her left palm forward into his chest, channeling a condensed ball of power into the sternum of his armor. The Uzumaki man rocketed backwards, but Hinata didn't bother to watch his flight. She now had tunnel vision, and her sights were set on Lee.

Charging forward once more, letting out her breath in a long, painful cry of hatred, Hinata swung her lightsaber down once more… only to be blocked again. This time by Lee's own blade. Kyuubi must have given him back his weapon when he defended him, the bastard.

"You're a demon," Lee said, horror struck, just barely able to hold back Hinata's blade that was a hairsbreadth away from his head. Then his lightsaber dimmed, and Hinata grinned.

Hinata raised her sword and crashed it back down repeatedly, each time causing Lee's weapon to grow weaker. Finally, Hinata arced her blade under his, catching the tip and throwing it into the air. The blade discharged just as the hilt left his hand. Hinata caught the lightsaber and grinned maliciously down at it. Drawing upon the drunken power that now flowed through her veins more than ever before, she crushed the hilt in the palm of her hand – the cylindrical weapon discharged electricity and let out a puff of smoke.

She tossed the broken tech to the side, beads of blood trailing behind it from where the metal pierced her palm. All the while she watched Lee. She drew in his fear through the Force – she fed on it. It made her stronger.

Giving a brief glance around the trashed room from the previous battle, Hinata made sure there was no one else to stop her. Curiously enough, Kyuubi was gone. No matter. The time was now.

"You know," Hinata sighed, breathing heavily now. The room was now completely dark, but she could see perfectly. Whether that was an attribute from her heritage, or from her complete immersion in the Force, she knew not. Nor did she care. But she could tell Lee could not see, as he was now more fearful than ever. "I've never relished killing. I did not choose to have this power." She waved her lightsaber, enjoying the thrum it gave as a report… enjoying its new shade. Then she knew what she would call it, and she smiled.

"I just wanted to live my life… preferably with the ones I love." She raised her weapon high into the air, completely stretching her arm out. She stared at it fondly. "But my parents were killed by my Master. The love of my life fights for an insane dogma that the Jedi have fooled him with. And…" the girl who she considers her daughter was hopefully light-years away by then. "And everywhere I go, the story of Corellia follows me." She laughed, lowering her blade to her right side, and lowered her face into her left palm, shaking her head. "The story of the Planet Conqueror. I now understand one thing, at least."

Hinata lowered her hand and stared down at the horror-struck man before her, who was now seemingly paralyzed by fear. "The lives of those I love and my own are more important than anyone else's. I will kill, destroy, and conqueror everyone in the galaxy if that is what I have to do. All in the name of love. All in the name of freedom. And with this…" she moved her blade through the air, enjoying the sweet sound it made, allowing him to know what she was referring to. "My lightbreaker, I will do it all. Starting with you."

Finally level-headed and no longer drunk on power, Hinata knew that everything she said was true. And this man deserved to die for hatred of her. In order to create the life she wanted, she had to destroy such hatred.

"Goodbye, Lee."

And she swung at him for the last time.

"Hinata!" screamed the voice of the one she loved most. For the last time, her lightbreaker was blocked, this time by a golden blade that fought valiantly through the darkness. Naruto's blue eyes seemed to glow with life, power, love, and more feelings than she could count. Like the dawn of a star rising above a mountain top, light burst forth from the man she loved, eradicating the darkness from the room and her heart.

She stared, wide-eyed at Naruto for what seemed an eternity. There he was. The man who she was prepared to kill for. The man she was prepared to die for. The man who had stopped her from continuing a cycle of hatred and pain, despite that that was what she was trying to stop.

"N…Naruto," Hinata gasped. Somewhere in the back of her head, she could hear Madara's furious cries of obscenities.

Smiling the smile that Hinata loved most, which seemed to highlight his foxy Uzumaki features, Naruto simply said, "I'm not catching you at a bad time, am I?"

Retracting her blade and stowing it away in less than an instant, Hinata flung herself at him so fast that the young Jedi barely had time to retract his own blade before she collided against his chest.

They hadn't seen each other since Orochimaru stormed her castle what seemed like centuries ago. Hinata could smell his musty scent, mingled in with that of another man's more airy aroma, and she could feel the rising of his chest with each breath. Her arms were wrapped tightly around him, her face nestled in the crook of his neck.

Naruto returned the hug, though nowhere nearly as tight as she held him. But he didn't complain, he merely nuzzled his face in her hair.

Hinata smiled, genuinely happy. And she planned to keep that happiness. Phase two of her plan was complete.

* * *

**Well, that took longer than I thought it would. Sorry it's shorter than usual, but I figured that was a good place to end the chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! Please feel free to review, send me a pm, and ask any question. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	24. Reunions

Hinata stared down at the cracked hilt of her lightbreaker, jagged edges poking out at sharp angles along its length. Despite its damaged appearance, she only felt more attached to it. It was a reflection of what she felt like on the inside: powerful, but a little broken. Capable, but torn.

"Hinata?" Naruto muttered, and the Hyuuga felt his movement behind her. She was sitting at the edge of her small cot, where she and Naruto had spent the previous night. Just thinking about their reunion the night before brought a smile to her lips. She felt him move closer, and suddenly his warm hand was on her upper back, brushing her dark indigo hair over her right shoulder, exposing the skin on her neck and back.

When his lips made contact with her left shoulder, trailing kisses up to her neck, she let out a soft sigh. She leaned her head away from his contact, exposing her flesh even more. He didn't stop at the base of her neck, but instead continued up to her ear, where he gave the tender cartilage a soft nibble.

"Naruto," she giggled, dropping her hilt.

"Come back to bed, Hina," the Jedi whispered into her ear, his hands sliding around her nude waist. His touch sent a shiver of pleasure up her spine, giving her gooseflesh. Then he yanked her backwards, making her let out a squeak out of surprise.

And then she was sprawled atop him, her mouth covering his greedily, her breasts pressed firmly into his chest. Without breaking their kiss, Hinata managed to cross a leg over his body and was now straddling him. She could feel something warm pushing against her upper thigh, and she grinned mischievously into their kiss.

"Naruto, you perv," she teased. His answer was just to pull her back towards him, his lips hungry for hers. She returned the kiss with just as much enthusiasm.

It wasn't long before she couldn't hold back any longer, and she could see Naruto was in an even worse state. She straightened up, raised her body from his, and took him into her hand. As she guided him inside her, she was pleased to hear his long sigh, and couldn't help but to let out a small moan herself. When she finally slid down his full length, she paused, enjoying the moment – enjoying the feeling of having him inside her. Then she began rocking her hips back and forth, slowly forming a steady rhythm. With each sliding movement, she could feel a deep tingling sensation within her growing stronger.

She placed her hands on his hard chest, and looked deep into his ocean-blue eyes as she finally began sliding her hips up and down. With each stroke, her breath seemed to catch in her throat. But she continued, gaining speed each time. Before long, Naruto added his own thrusts in tandem with her own.

Their speed increased, and Hinata fell forward, wanting the taste of his mouth in her own. The sound of their bodies slapping together was soon drowned out by Naruto's soft grunts and Hinata's hitched sighs. Without warning, Hinata felt herself near a precipice; her body was on fire, and the tingling sensation was now so strong that it was more like all of her insides were vibrating.

Their movements reached a crescendo, and Hinata let out a shriek, slamming her hips down onto his. Something warm exploded inside of her, and she felt herself go over the edge. The vibrating inside of her erupted into a sonic boom, overloading every one of her senses. She clung to Naruto for dear life as all of her muscles tensed, and then seemed to spasm uncontrollably. Her face was dug into the crook of her love's neck, her mouth now open in a silent scream.

Naruto wrapped his arms around her, his breathing heavy, but Hinata was only vaguely aware of this, and even less aware that she was repeating his name over and over again.

* * *

Kiba was unhappy. _Very_ unhappy. "This wasn't supposed to happen," he muttered angrily. Suddenly, blonde hair and sharp blue eyes filled his vision.

"Oh, quiet, you," she commanded. Her Jedi garb made his nose wrinkle up in disgust. If there was anything worse than a soldier of the CIS, it was a Jedi. "I was charged with protecting that little girl, and you tried to kidnap her! Are you some sort of sick pervert? Do you get your kicks out of stealing defenseless, young girls away from her family?"

Kiba paled, then suddenly snarled, barking out, "You've got it all wrong. I was going to protect her."

The Jedi cocked an unconvinced eyebrow, "Oh, yeah? From who?"

"You," he bit out. "You must be very worried about her if you're traipsing her around a CIS fleet, under the banner of the Republic."

She turned away from him at that, giving him a condescending "hmph" before she walked away. A large guy in archaic armor stepped into his vision next, a bag of snacks tucked under his arm.

"Don't mind Ino," he said, through a mouthful of a crunchy substance, "She just gets agitated when people get pass her senses. She likes to think herself to be a great Force user, and not just a lowly Jedi knight." He shrugged then, plopping down onto his rear before the Gurlanin. "So, where are you from?"

"The Outer Rim," Kiba answered softly, suddenly drawn back into his old life. "I'm on the run from a very angry gang princess."

"Odd that you'd end up here," a laid-back voice put in, before appearing beside the big guy. The newcomer crossed his arms. "Troublesome, too. Now we have a prisoner to watch over, as well as having to report that massive armada. What a drag."

"Hey," Kiba said defensively, "All I came for was the kid. If you could kindly hand her over, and give me back my ship-"

Suddenly, a cold laugh emanated from everywhere. A tall man with long, black hair stalked up behind the two before Kiba, and intense pupilless eyes were trained on him. Kiba could feel waves of malice wash over him, knowing it was from the newest member of his interrogation group. This happened to be the man who stopped him from capturing his target in the first place.

"Hinata-sama trusted me to protect her, and I failed. Now, with only Hanabi left to me, I would rather die than fail again. You are lucky to be alive, Gurlanin. If the information you might know wasn't so valuable, I would have snuffed out your life when you entered this ship."

Kiba couldn't help but to snort at that statement. It had been the man's three companions that stopped him from killing Kiba, not any information he might know. Not that he knew anything, anyway. Sighing, Kiba repeated himself for the billionth time, "I already told you, I was sent by Hinata to pick up the girl and take her to a safe location. Why don't you believe me?"

"Because we're not as incompetent as you are hoping, is why," one replied.

"Because Hinata-sama has _me_ to protect Hanabi-chan," the cold one retorted.

"Because what you're saying just doesn't settle right with my stomach," the large one answered, grabbing another handful of food from his bag.

Groaning, Kiba just shook his head. His cell was protected by an energy barrier, which filtered everything he saw outside into a blue shade. He only had enough room to stand straight, which was beginning to grate on his stamina. He couldn't even sit, and if he happened to touch the barrier, a nasty jolt would numb the part of him that was unfortunate enough to make contact.

"Can you at least move me to a bigger cell, please?"

The three exchanged looks. In unison, they replied, "No."

* * *

"Come to confront me, you have." Yoda said knowingly, his small form cloaked in a brown Jedi robe, his large head was the only visible part of him. Jiraiya stared at the thing crown of wispy hair that spanned between the Grand Jedi's two long ears.

"Unfortunately yes, Master," Jiraiya said, dropping to his knees slowly, sitting a respectable distance behind the older Jedi.

Yoda turned his head slightly, until one eye met Jiraiya's gaze. "About your student this is, hmm? Yes, this day would come, I thought. Speak, young one."

It rankled Jiraiya that he was called 'young', despite his elder status on the Council. It only showed how ancient Yoda was, to be able to call the Toad Sage young. "Master, I wish to apologize for my former apprentice's actions. She was confused and hurt, her students torn from her, one by the Council's decree, the other by the temptations of the Dark Side."

"Not so rash, a true Jedi would be. Hmm, a very disturbing aura, about that one there is. Alas, missing in action, she is, hmm?" The Grand Master floated above the cushion he had been resting on, turning as he did so. He settled back down, facing Jiraiya. "All, is that?"

"No, Master," Jiraiya admitted, bowing his head. "I also want to speak about my other apprentice."

"Young Jedi Naruto?" He still thought of Naruto as his apprentice, despite knowing that the Uzumaki was knighted. But that wasn't whom he was wishing to speak about.

"No, Master. Kushina." Jiraiya looked hard at the green Jedi, inspecting his every feature, waiting for a reaction. He was given nothing.

"Ah, a good Jedi, she was. Saddened, about her death, I still am." He bowed his head, closing his eyes.

"I want to hear the truth of her death, Master," Jiraiya continued. "The details in the Archives do not coincide with the evidence I have gathered myself."

"Careful you must be, Jiraiya. In a Jedi, often to troubling ends, suspicion leads." His eyes opened then, the green irises intense. Was that a threat?

"I will be, Master. Perhaps you could put my suspicions at ease, then?"

Smiling sadly, Yoda shook his head. "Knowledge, ill gotten can be. This request, I must deny. Sorry, I am."

Jiraiya pushed on, "The night she was killed in childbirth, her body was immediately cremated, without an official funeral or au-"

"Stop," Yoda commanded, his voice cutting straight through Jiraiya's words. "At an end, this conversation is."

"As you wish, Master," Jiraiya said, bowing low, and then rising. _I should have known this would get me nowhere_, he thought, disappointed. _But it seems to confirm what I suspected from the beginning. Master Yoda was behind her death. I can feel it._

* * *

Tenten tracked the hyperspace jump, decoded the encrypted coordinates, and found the location that the CIS armada was headed for: Coruscant. She grimaced. If their mission had been successful, this may have been prevented. Yet, as it was, nothing could be helped.

Her tearful reunion with Lee had been brief, due to his sorry condition. She immediately got him into a bacta tank in their ship's medbay. While he was recuperating, she vowed revenge. They would track Kyuubi down and kill him. At first, it was only a mission. Now it was her life's goal. She would do it for Lee. He deserved that much of her.

Thinking about Lee reminded her of Shino, and she suddenly felt guilty. When she and Shino were together on Coruscant, it was supposed to be fun! The guy was serious, but she found his quiet, thoughtful nature attractive at first.

After a few weeks of, what she thought was, meaningless sex, he had just had to tell her that he was dying. How was she supposed to handle that? She liked him well enough, but she didn't know if she could handle being with him until the end. It would hurt too much; she hadn't let herself care about anyone since her mother died. When Lee came along, his talent for spotting and fighting standing out from all the others she screened, she took off without a word to the poor Aburame. She had hoped he would just forget her.

Now, as she reflected, she knew she was just blind to his feelings. She had used him for physical pleasure, but his love for her had been real. What she had taken for in-the-moment words of ecstasy during one of their sessions had actually been how the man had felt.

She sighed, then punched the terminal before her. She could see how unfair she'd been, especially now that she realized how she felt about Lee. He was just supposed to help her in her work, but she had fallen for him. _Perhaps I'm not as strong as I like to imagine_, she conceded weakly.

Yet, her connection to Shino had returned Lee to her – even if it was at the cost of a Jedi's freedom, and possible life.

"I'm so selfish," she muttered, staring at the terminal before her. Gritting her teeth, she punched in her acquired coordinates. It was time to embark on her next selfish escapade: revenge. Now that was something she knew she could do.

* * *

Naruto smiled up at the ceiling, despite being a prisoner at the heart of a CIS fleet bent on conquering the Core Worlds. Hinata's head lay on his left shoulder, his arm curled around her back. Across the room, Naruto could see the clothes he borrowed from Shino strewn across the floor, and his utility belt hung loosely on a hook next to the door.

He looked down at the cascade of dark violet hair – hair that always seemed to be a different shade of purple, or sometimes even blue, depending on the light – flowing across his chest, and he could hear the steady rhythm of her breathing. She was fast asleep.

He didn't know what to make of his situation; he was a prisoner, but he wore no chains. He had traded his own freedom for a stranger's, yet it felt right that he should be here. _Has the Force guided me here, to this place, this moment? What am I supposed to do?_

It seemed obvious enough about what he _could_ do. He could sabotage the ship. He could try to play spy. The choices were endless. Yet, here he was, Hinata snuggled up next to him, merely enjoying his respite from the war.

And yet, the war continued. And he had questions that needed answering.

"Hinata," Naruto said gently, shaking her slightly. She murmured a complaint, before nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck. Persistent, he continued his gentle prodding. Finally, he heard her grumble.

"Yeah?"

"We need to talk."

"Mmm," she groaned, reaching a hand up to brush the hair out of her face. She looked up at him, her large eyes her usual color, with only a faint hint of the dark clouds that had made those beautiful orbs their home. "Why talk, when we can kiss?" And then she kissed him.

Reluctantly, Naruto pulled back, shaking his head. "I came to the Getsuei system to find you, to confront you – yet both times I've seen you since then, we've just romped each other senselessly."

She wrinkled her nose, "I wouldn't call it 'senseless' or 'romping,' I'd call it 'purposeful,'" she punctuated the word with a kiss, "and love-making." Another kiss.

Again, Naruto shook his head. "I need to know what's happening. We both do. That dark energy that consumed Corellia, it wasn't natural – it wasn't you. And then when it landed, merged with you – we were suddenly fighting each other, yet neither of us controlled our actions. I'm certain something important is happening, and we can't just go on ignoring it."

"Is that what you think I've been doing?" she asked, a hurt expression on her face. She pulled away from him, throwing her legs over the edge of the cot, her back now to him. "Ignoring it? It's tortured me since it happened! I couldn't control it, Naruto. It just… just happened."

Naruto felt terrible for ruining the nice time they had been spending together since their reunion, but he knew it had to be done. "This Tobirama person… resides inside me. And I think his brother is in you, if I those fuzzy memories are reliable."

"Madara," she whispered. She stood, arching her back in a stretch. Her hair cascaded to waist length, and she walked around to the end of the bed, turning in his direction. It took all of Naruto's willpower not to get aroused by her still-naked body, all of his strength to try not thinking about the angle at which her breasts hung, every ounce of his brainpower to avoid letting his eyes wander up and down her firm curves – she crossed her arms under her ample bosom, a smirk playing across her face. "Having problems, Naru?" She eyed his lower regions, and Naruto felt shame at his lack of self control. "I can help," she cooed.

Naruto got up from the bed, turning away from her, his face reddening. He concentrated on finding his clothing, saying, "I just think we should concentrate on sharing what we know. I think this Madara guy is who is behind Corellia's destruction, not you." He slipped on his undergarments before looking back at her. She hadn't moved an inch, yet her eyes had followed him.

"Is that what you think? Or want to believe? Maybe I'm the monster everyone says I am," she suggested, a great sadness in her eyes. "Maybe at heart, I'm just a murdering lunatic."

"You're not," Naruto stated firmly, moving towards her. He tried to take her into his arms, but she shied away. "Hina, this is important. If we can figure out what these guys mean, we may be able to get rid of them. I don't know about you, but I don't enjoy playing the role of house to some stranger."

She stared at him for a moment, her eyes clouded with that strange darkness that had appeared since her conversion to the Dark Side. Then she turned to find her own clothes, not saying a word. Naruto sighed.

"Come on, Hina, talk to me."

"Yesterday, when you stopped me from killing Lee, I realized something," she began, pulling on a pair of white panties. "I came to terms with what I was willing to do, in order to be happy. In order to protect those I love. Do you know what that epiphany was?" Her eyes turned on him in an intense gaze.

Naruto wasn't sure he would like to know, but he shrugged regardless.

Hinata pulled a black shirt over her head, and told him, "I found that I was willing to destroy a billion Corellias to achieve my goals. End countless lives, if I have to. If the galaxy denies me what I desire most, I will take it regardless. Does that bother you?" Her eyes were hard, but Naruto could sense her fear – fear that Naruto would feel disgusted with her, fear that he would turn away from her just because she told him the truth.

"It… makes me uneasy," he admitted. She turned away, and he knew that she was trying to hide her tears. He closed the distance between them, wrapping his arms around her waist. "But I can understand it, Hinata. You're strong, you really are. I understand that everything you ever wanted has been taken from you, time and again. That would make anyone go to extreme lengths for happiness."

She shook her head, muttering, "Don't try to justify it. I know how you think; it's not right, it's not the Jedi way. I don't care anymore. I'm tired of playing by the rules – anybody's rules. The CIS, the Republic, I'm beginning to feel that there is no difference. Neither one has given me what I desire… until now." She turned around in his arms, and looked up at him. He stared down into her cloudy eyes, searching out the soft lavender coloring he had come to love. It was still there.

"You're right, I don't like it." He watched her eyes break away from his own, and he gave her a reassuring hug. "But I'll just have to do my best to make sure it never comes to that."

* * *

"I've found you," Kurenai whispered, staring across the open hangar at a long white cloak, which was emblazoned with red flames along its fringe. Glorious golden-blond, spiky hair rippled as the head turned towards her. Electric-blue eyes drank her in, and his mouth curled into a grin.

"If it isn't Kurenai Yuuhi. I was wondering when you would seek me out." He turned fully towards her, the wind catching his cloak, making it billow out behind him. He smiled then, his teeth perfect and white. "You're no longer a little girl, I see. A full-fledged Master. Jiraiya must be very proud."

Kurenai didn't say anything, she only stared at him. _He looks so much like Naruto_, she thought sadly, remembering her lost student. The last time she had heard of her former Padawan, he had disappeared in the Getsuei system.

The man crossed his arms against the cortosis-laced green vest he wore, cocking his head back slightly. Long golden locks framed his face, hiding his ears. "Are you just going to gawk at me all day, or will you say something already?"

Direct, as always. Kurenai knew that Minato wasn't a man to beat around the bush, and she had liked him for it at one point. She admired his sense of direction and purpose. Now, when she felt so aimless and helpless, it only made her feel sorry for herself. "You're Naruto's uncle," she said lamely.

Minato's eyebrow shot up at that, and a sneer appeared on his face. "If you've come to me to help you find him, forget it. It's not my problem, and it isn't yours anymore, either. In fact, I've found that you're listed as MIA. You don't look so missing to me."

There was a time when Kurenai would have taken offense at his words. A time when she took a person's words at face-value, never thinking any further about what they actually meant. Kurenai could hear Minato's reproach as clear as a bell; yet, she understood something else entirely. The fact that he knew she was MIA meant he had kept tabs on her, and the same was true for Naruto, as he had admitted to knowing him to be missing. And that he knew about her being relieved as Naruto's Jedi trainer revealed that he had been observing them for a while. "Minato, he's your own flesh and blood. Kushina-"

"Kushina made her choice," Minato said plainly, shaking his head. "And it led to her death. I loved my sister, as you well know. But when that Uzumaki came into her life, everything spiraled out of control. Now she's dead, and here we both are. Amazing how she has had so much effect on our lives, yet she died seventeen years ago." He laughed then, a sad, terrible laugh. He turned from her, and looked out into the clouds.

"Cloud City," he said softly, his words nearly washed away in the wind. "Kushina loved this place. I can remember many a time where she had sparred among these towers, and even doing real battle at other times. I never told anyone, but I studied my sister. I knew everything about her: her fighting style, the excited way she spoke, the way she would begin twirling her hair in her finger when Kyuubi was around. In a way, I knew her better than anyone. Yet, she never really knew me. She knew _of_ me, I'm sure. But I was never on her radar. How could I be? She was a Jedi, and I was only a pilot."

Of course, he was right. Kushina never really became close to her brother, for fear of developing an attachment that would lead her astray from her path. As Kurenai was Jiraiya's student, and Kushina had been his student not too long before her, they tended to cross paths everywhere she went. And wherever Kushina was, Minato was not far behind. "Minato, you know how much being a Jedi meant to her."

"That didn't matter when it came to Kyuubi Uzumaki, though, did it?" Minato sighed into the open space before him. "Everything the Code taught meant nothing whenever he was in her presence."

"Everyone makes mistakes," Kurenai said, playing devil's advocate. _I know I've made more than my fair share_.

"Yeah," Minato agreed. He took a few steps forward, coming closer to the edge of the hangar. A torrent of air blew around them, yet, despite the flapping of his cloak, he didn't seem affected. Kurenai found his behavior odd, so she took a few tentative steps in his direction. When he said nothing, she walked up beside him. From her new vantage point, the world opened up before her. The air was thin, but she wasn't breathless. Before her, several towers loomed at a lower altitude, just above the clouds. They happened to be standing in the highest skyscraper around.

"He looks a lot like her, and you, for that matter," Kurenai spoke softly, thinking of one of her first two students. Inevitably, thinking of one made her think of the other. Her worst failure as a Master.

"And I'm sure he's inherited his father's strength and fighting abilities, as well as his mother's nobility," Minato put in, his gaze far away. "And if the stories are true, he's inherited both of his parents' weakness in the presence of love."

"Love is what being a Jedi is all about."

Minato laughed. "Then it is a cruel fate that I'm glad I was not given. I've seen Jedi be torn apart by their attachments and duty. A life of subservience and alienation from bonds with others is just as harmful as a life comprised of freedom of choices. I will admit, it tends to work out for Jedi. Only a small percentage goes bad. But when they go bad, they go bad _hard_."

Kurenai smirked up at him. He was taller than her by at least a half foot. "Oh? And when did you become such an expert?"

His smile was kind, and he looked down at her with twinkling eyes. "Dearest Kurenai, you don't think I've been spending my years idle, do you? I've been watching, waiting, learning. I know the Jedi Code, and am well versed in the knowledge of the Dark Side." At this, Kurenai's eyes widened, and she took a step back reflexively. His smile only grew, and he laughed again. "Does that scare you, Kurenai? After all the time we've known each other?"

"You disappeared for seventeen years," she pointed out. "I'm not sure if I know you anymore."

"Did you ever look for me?"

"Well, no. I was still a Padawan when you left, and I had duties when I was knighted."

His smile turned from jovial to cheerless in no time flat. "I thought not. I never 'disappeared.' I was around. You were just blind to my presence."

At that, she cocked an eyebrow to him. "A lot like how the Sith are able to hide among Jedi, you mean?"

Again, his smile changed. This time, it was mischievous, and his eyes had a spark of humor. "Something like that."

"I don't understand, Minato. You say you've been watching, learning, waiting. But for what?"

"For this moment, right now, right here. For the time when you would come to me of your own volition. For the time where I would be your last hope, your salvation. Why are you here, Kurenai? Tell me." His eyes turned hard, and she knew he was being serious.

"I-I…" Why did she seek him out? What could he do for her, that she couldn't do by herself? He was an amazing pilot, yes, but he wasn't a Jedi. He wasn't a famous politician, a leader of a large gang, or even rich. What could he do? "I'm just here, because it's where I knew I must come." Or was it because she had no one else to turn to? Asuma was dead, her former students unaccounted for, and Jiraiya had dropped a mind-bomb on her that scared her away from Coruscant.

"I'll tell you why you're here. Because I've been with you, from afar, guiding you here, back to me."

"I don't understand. How could you do that? You're not Force-sensitive!" Kurenai's palms were sweating now. What was going on?

"Perhaps I wasn't at one point, at least not very much. But there are certain things about midi-chlorians that are unknown even to Jedi. Part of my education over the past seventeen years was to learn all I could of these peculiar cells. I have found organisms that contain no trace of them – yet I have found others that accrued more and more as time passed by. I discovered that midi-chlorians aren't the essence of life at all. They are foreign particles, floating around, attaching to living beings."

"That's… unbelievable," Kurenai exclaimed.

"Yes, it's quite amazing."

"No, I mean, I really don't believe it. That goes against everything the Order has taught us about the Force. If that were true, why would some people be Force-sensitive, and others not? What's the difference?"

"The difference is as simple as a genetic mutation. It's inheritable, which explains Force-sensitive children. It's not a random occurrence at all – merely biological. When families birth two children, and one becomes a Jedi, and the other doesn't, that shows that the gene isn't completely dominant. Yet, when two Jedi breed, their children are most likely Force-sensitive as well. Naruto is a prime example. Something about this gene attracts more midi-chlorians than any other. That, my dearest Kurenai, is your Force."

She studied him for a moment. It was a lot to take in. "But, midi-chlorians perforate all life – all matter. It's the living Force! How can you try to categorize it like that?"

"How can you deny facts? It all fits completely. The real question is, where did it come from?" He looked out into the city, a contemplative frown on his face.

"Nowhere. It's always been," Kurenai said stubbornly, unable to let go of everything she had been taught. First her faith in the Order had been shaken – now her faith in the Force was being tried? What had she done to deserve such reality-bending trials?

"Don't be naïve, Kurenai. You can bet on your pretty little head that it originated from somewhere. And that somewhere is Coruscant. The largest Force nexus rests there, with smaller ones cast round the galaxy. Yet, if you follow a pattern that I've discovered, it's easy to tell the Force had an origin. The highest concentration of midi-chlorians exists on Coruscant, and from there, extending out in a spherical shape, the lowest exists on the Outer Rim. Doesn't that seem odd to you?"

"No," she denied forcefully, "No. It can't be true. It can't!"

"If there wasn't any truth to what I've been telling you, how could I do this?" And then she felt a tug on her hand. She looked down, but nothing was there, yet the tug was still there, persistent. Eventually, she gave in, her brain in lockdown – the Force was pulling on her hand, in Minato's direction. He reached out and took her hand into his own, then turned to face her bodily, looking into her eyes. She could feel her breath catch. _How is he able to use the Force?_

Seemingly reading her mind, he chuckled, "That's nothing. Watch this." And then the world around her disappeared in a bright yellow flash.


	25. The Final Battle Begins

Orochimaru tapped out a rhythm on his metal shins with the hilt of his lightsaber. _Clink, clink, clink_, the sharp sounds reverberated across the narrow corridor of the ship. He sat outside his room aboard the Imperator-class Star Destroyer _Hellbound_.

"And hell bound we are," he grumbled, pattering away at his mechanical legs. _Coruscant, of all fucking places? We're taking the fight there so early?_ Granted, the destruction of Corellia put the Core Worlds in a state of panic that Kyuubi interpreted as leaving them vulnerable. "More like more defensive."

The Planet Conqueror's all-consuming darkness had destroyed the base that was set up in the Corellian system, leaving the CIS without eyes behind enemy lines. "Fucking bitch," he muttered, _clink, clink, clink._

And now Kyuubi was determined to send his forces into the Core Worlds in a mighty thrust, his armada seemingly undefeatable. Scouts across the Galaxy were reporting that there wasn't a fleet in the entirety of the Republic's arsenal that could withstand such firepower at one time.

_Clink, clink, clink_. He could feel that Uzumaki brat. He couldn't sleep with the bastard so close to him; he couldn't think of anything else since the young Jedi had brushed his connection with the Force. And now, having finally gotten fed up with his restlessness, Anko had kicked him out of her bed.

"_When you stop obsessing over little boys, and feel that you miss the warmth of a woman, you can come back. 'Til then, get the fuck out." _Orochimaru began tapping furiously at his metallic limbs, wishing desperately that his legs were whole again. "I'll kill you, little Naru. I don't care if I have to go through your father to do it… But I'll hack off each of your limbs before I do." A satisfied chuckle escaped his lips, and he continued tapping away at his legs.

* * *

"What will you do, Naruto?" Kyuubi asked, the slits of his pupils contracting. A dangerous smirked played across his feral features and Naruto knew he was undergoing some sort of test.

"When we reach Coruscant?" Naruto asked, knowing the answer, but stalling for time.

"What else?" his father barked. He sat in a large, metal chair that was utilitarian at best. The lack of armrests made it easy for the large Uzumaki to lean forward, his elbows on his knees, claws hanging ominously between his knees. His sharp teeth glinted in the light. "I want to know where you stand, son."

Naruto's nose wrinkled at the mention of the word 'son.' He let it slide. "I am a prisoner, and a Jedi. But a Jedi first and foremost. I will stop you, Kyuubi. I will halt the entire invasion."

Kyuubi's barking laughter made Naruto uneasy. "_Stop_ me, will you?" He stood, his height dwarfed Naruto by at least five inches. "That will be more difficult now than ever, my foolish son. We are here."

The shock of the information sent Naruto reeling backwards. It actually physically assaulted him. He turned around, frantic, searching for some sort of trick. "That's impossible. I would have felt them. A world that populated would not have gone unnoticed by me!"

"I've been blocking your senses. The battle has already began." As soon as the words left Kyuubi's mouth, the ship shuddered. His triumphant sigh let Naruto know it was all true. The Jedi completely deflated, sliding down the cold wall opposite his father.

"All is lost," Naruto muttered, shaking his head.

A soft sliding noise alerted Naruto to Hinata's entrance, though he had sensed her coming. His senses were now completely free, and he could feel life being snuffed out by the hundreds. Before long, he knew that number would escalate.

"What's the meaning of this?" Hinata roared. She was completely battle-ready. Her black, form fitting outfit. The mask she wore was pushed to the side, what normally covered the top half of her face was now laying against her right ear. Her utility belt was strapped to her waist, but her two lightsabers were in her hands at the ready. "Why was I not told that the battle had begun? Why did I not _know?_" Her jaw was clenched, and Naruto could see the angry throbbing of her pulse in a vain at her temple. Her smoky eyes cast their full fury on her Master.

"It's time you two learned everything." Kyuubi said, looking at one, then the other. "The outcome of this battle hinges on you two working together to do what you've been meant to do since birth."

Naruto stared at the Sith flatly. "If we're going to learn 'everything,' you should start by giving us actual information, not such a load of Bantha fodder."

"You have five minutes. Talk," Hinata seethed, her grip on her hilts tightening. Naruto could feel her hatred for the man bubbling beneath the surface. He could feel the rage flowing off of her through the Force. He tried to calm her by enveloping the room in his own serene energy. For the most part, all Naruto could feel was a stillness of mind that only the Force could induce.

"Soon. As soon as everyone gets here, all will be revealed." Kyuubi turned from the two young Force-users and began arming himself. Along the wall before him were his various weapons and pieces of armor. His undersuit was black, but was soon almost completely hidden by the various odds and ends that began interlocking.

By time Hinata muttered, "Times up, Kyuubi." He had already finished. He turned back to the couple with a contemplative frown, his helmet in his hand at his side. His breastplate lacked the normal shoulder guards, so his muscled, faint red arms were bare, save the arm guards on his forearms. His platelegs interlocked in such a way that Naruto could tell they didn't hinder his mobility at all. The entirety of his armor, even his utility belt, was as black as the void of space. But his eyes on this day were different from what Naruto was used to. The normal fury they emanated was gone. All that was left was a deep sadness.

"Quiet, Hinata. I'll tell you something while we wait." He took a deep breath, his eyes downcast. "I'm sorry."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock and he felt Hinata's own feelings dwarfed by her sense of surprise. He noticed her body lose its rigid, at-the-ready posture. "What?" she blurted out.

"I apologize for everything. For your family, for your life, for your planet. I'm sorry, Hinata. I know that nothing I say now can change what happened, but before this day is done, I want you to know the reason why. I want you to _understand_." He looked up now, and Naruto actually saw _tears_. Tears on the monster that slaughtered Hinata's family. Tears from the beast that tore Hinata from the light side of the Force. Tears streaming down his father's face, which suddenly seemed less feral and more paternal.

"Sorry? _Sorry?_" Hinata cried, her anger returning. "Sorry, after all this? You're sorry? Well, that's fucking great! I'm so glad you got that off your chest."

Kyuubi nodded his head slowly. "I know it's not what you want to hear, but the truth had to be kept from you in order to protect you. In order to protect the both of you."

"The truth?" Naruto asked in wonder, returning to his feet. "What truth?"

"That Yoda isn't as great as he wants everyone to think he is," Master Jiraiya said, strolling into the room. Naruto gaped at him, and Hinata's eyebrow arched in suspicion. "The truth that you two are the only ones who can save the universe from his tyranny." He went straight to Kyuubi, who inclined his head to the Master. Jiraiya rested his hand on Kyuubi's shoulder. "You've done well, old friend."

"Done well?" Naruto asked, bewildered. "What's going on here?"

Jiraiya turned to his apprentice. "Naruto, everything that has happened is a result of Yoda's unrelenting grasp on power. He will not yield it, and he will not pass it on. I cannot say how everything originated, but the Force as we know it is somehow involved in Yoda's past. And everything he's done since then has been to keep it alive and under his control."

Kyuubi pulled his helmet over his head, now looking as fearsome as usual. "This battle isn't for the CIS. This war isn't something Darth Sidious instigated. It's a construct of Yoda's master plan." He turned to the armory behind him and began to clip his cape into place. "Master Jiraiya is the second oldest member of the Jedi Council, if you'll remember. And he's been around long enough to notice some inconsistencies. Such as Yoda's involvement with Sidious's Master, Darth Plaguies."

"What does all this mean? Why does it even matter?" Hinata demanded.

"Because, young lady, if I am correct, Yoda trained Plaquies with the intent of causing the war we are in now. With all the Force-sensitives in the Galaxy, there was no way he could control them with the Jedi Order alone. He had to bring the Sith to their full power once more in order to control the other half of the Force. And once he had the Sith built up, he could pit the Order and the Sith against each other in a bid to kill off Force users by the thousands. The less there are, the easier they are to control." Jiraiya seemed agitated, as if her were waiting on something.

"This doesn't make any sense," Naruto uttered, wide-eyed. "Why would Yoda want to control everyone that has the ability to use the Force? If that's his plan, why not control everyone, Force user or no?"

"He's using the culmination of midi-chlorians, in combination with the Force nexus on Coruscant, to keep himself alive." Kyuubi growled. "The bastard is older than most civilizations, I'd say."

"Okay, let's say everything you're saying is true. How could the Force be used in such a way? He'd have to be like a parasite or something. He'd be sucking away the life force of Jedi." Hinata pointed out.

"That's exactly what he's doing, in a way," a voice came from the entryway, and everyone turned to look. Naruto blinked, confused. He was looking at a mirror image of himself, with the only differences being that the man had longer hair and a lack of whisker markings. The grin plastered on his face denoted a since of amusement and knowledge. He stepped aside, and a black-haired beauty stepped into the room.

"Master Kurenai," Naruto exclaimed, now completely confused. "What is going on here?" He looked from his former Master, to the newcomer, to Kyuubi, and finally to Jiraiya.

"Naruto, Hinata…" a tearful Kurenai whispered. "I'm so glad to see you both here."

At the sight of her former Master, all the aggressiveness fled Hinata. She stowed away her weapons and smiled, actually _smiled_. The sight warmed Naruto's heart.

"This is Minato Namikaze, Naruto." Jiraiya spoke up. "Your uncle."

"I see you have my sister's lightsaber, Naruto." Minato commented, still grinning. "I hope you can use it as well as she could."

"Better," Naruto boasted, smirking back.

"Now that everyone is here, we can begin," Kyuubi grumbled, just as the ship gave another shudder. "Hinata, the truth about what happened isn't easy. Yoda was influencing your father, a famous politician who claimed to have knowledge in the ways of the Force, to impose a more strict Code. The Senate wanted a third party arbitrator to make more regulations for the Order to abide by. It was he, under Yoda's suggestion, who forbade marriage-"

"You told me all this before!" Hinata screamed, the mentioning of her family giving rise to her temper once more. "Get to the point."

"Very well. After Kushina was poisoned while impregnated with Naruto, I lost my faith in the Order. I suspected Yoda, but couldn't prove anything." He paused, the pain he felt written all over his face. Naruto's mind reeled. _My mom was poisoned?_ "I followed him, and he led me straight to your palace. I managed to mask my presence long enough to overhear him talking with your father about a successful mission, but he had one more task for him. To kill his only daughter."

The room went deathly silent. Naruto walked to Hinata, who was completely still. He slid an arm around her waist and gave her a small hug of reassurance. "You're lying," she whispered. "You're lying!"

"I wish I were," the Uzumaki sighed, falling limply back into his metal chair. "He told your father that a prophecy must not be fulfilled. That Hiashi's daughter was a danger to the Republic if she lived. You have to understand, Hinata, that this man that fathered you… he was Yoda's creature, through and through. He consented."

"No!" Hinata screamed, doubling over. "No, it's not true! You're lying to me, you red bastard! My father… he wouldn't…" Naruto helped her to the floor, where he held her as she clutched him, sobbing.

"I'm sorry. Truly, I am. I had no choice but to intervene at the time I did."

"So you killed them? You killed them all because of what he said? I should have died instead!" Hinata muttered mournfully, and Naruto's heart ached for her.

"No. Yoda couldn't risk being exposed for what he is. He killed your father on the spot, and pointed his lightsaber at me. _'Mind your own business, you should. The death of this people, on your hands is.'_ And then he attacked. I tried to hold him off, but he's a powerful Force user. Never have I fought an opponent like him. He managed to disable me, and then he went to work. He killed everyone that got in his way, and eventually made it to your room. By that time, I was able to fight again. I managed to hold him off long enough for Jiraiya to appear. When Jiraiya arrived, the story was different. Yoda said that in my grief, I had slaughtered Hiashi's family in revenge." Kyuubi spat. "Yoda is the Grand Master of the Order. Who would take my word over his? So I accepted the fate I was given, and took credit for what happened. From then on, I've been living the life of a Jedi turned Sith, trying my damnedest to get back at that green bastard."

Hinata's sobs subsided, and once more the room was silent. Jiraiya spoke up. "If I had the sense to trust Kyuubi at that time, none of this would be happening. Together, we may have been able to bring Yoda down while he was off Coruscant, away from his power source. We had suspected Yoda before, but as soon as Kushina died, there were only the two of us left who knew anything of my suspicions. That is, until Minato came to me." Jiraiya looked over at the man he had referred to and nodded.

"My sister was my idol. I watched her like a hawk, wherever she went. I loved her more than myself. So when she was pregnant with you, Naruto, I watched her ever more closely. I knew that it violated the Code, but I had no idea if there were consequences for such actions. As it turns out, when a nurse I had never seen before administered something to my sister while she was in labor, I had no suspicions. After it all happened, I had to think very hard about what had happened. The only conclusion that I could come to was that she was murdered by a person in the Order. When I came to Jiraiya with my suspicions, he said he'd look into it. From that point on, I vowed I'd gather as much knowledge as I could to be more helpful in solving my sister's murder." He looked down at his fist, which he was clenching and unclenching. "And now that I have enough of both to bring justice to her murderer, I've realized that there is a missing link that only Yoda can fill in. The origination of the Force itself, and why you two scare him so much."

Naruto had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with this Madara and Tobiramu entities that resided within Hinata and himself.\

Kurenai piped up at that point, "Naruto, Hinata, Yoda has been trying to kill the two of you for a very long time. In the first mission that we encountered Orochimaru, it was too dangerous for the three of us. But it was Yoda's orders, so we went. It's a wonder the two of you survived, and a testament to your strengths. Again on Ilum, another prime example of an attempt on your lives, where we were ordered to defend the temple. Then, just after that battle, Yoda ordered the ship we were on to rescue the survivors on Hypori. It's my guess that he had hoped Hinata would attack as she did and get herself killed by Kyuubi. I can't imagine how frustrated he was when you joined Kyuubi, and were then out of his control. After that, Naruto was put under Jiraiya's watch, and he was again shipped off. It seems to me that every mission he has sent the two of you on was too much for normal Padawans, and even normal Jedi Knights." Kurenai was tearful but smiling. "You were ordered back to Coruscant, were you not, Naruto?"

"Yeah…" Naruto asked, suddenly seeing the bigger picture. "He wanted me in this battle, didn't he? And Hinata would have been here too… We may even have fought each other!" It made him angry to think that he was so easy to manipulate. It made him angry that he had been fighting the truth his whole life. It made him _furious_ that Yoda had intended for the two of them to finish each other off.

Kurenai continued, "After I learned of some of the things that Master Jiraiya knew of Yoda, I confronted the Grand Master. He showed me… a horrible image. He gave me a vision of his home planet being completely wiped away of life. And he stood alone amongst the desolation, absorbing that life Force. I've always wondered why I've never seen another being like him…"

"And so here we are," Kyuubi commented, standing once more. Fully armored, he was a fearsome sight. "The fight that will decide it all. Yoda's judgment day has been a long time coming, and I think it's time he realizes it. What do you say now, son? Where do you stand?"

Naruto looked down at the Hyuuga in his arms, who looked up at him, the intensity in her eyes giving him the strength he needed. "Let's end this war."

* * *

"Master Yoda, the CIS has breached our defenses. They're landing all around the temple!" a frantic Ino yelled, bursting into the Council Chambers. Her Jedi cloak was singed in various places, and a small trickle of blood trailed down her neck from a head injury.

"Come for me, they have. Defend the younglings, we must. The initiates to the lower atriums assemble. Meet these dark foes, I must." The Grand Master stood and cast aside his wooden cane. Ino watched tearfully as he pulled off the cumbersome cloak he wore, and was then only garbed in his simple tunic. "Quickly now."

"Yes, Master," she bit her lip, blurting out, "Good luck." And then turned to do as she was ordered.

Yoda let out a long sigh and closed his eyes. "Closer and closer they come. My Master and his brother, nearly here are. The fate of the Force to be decided is." He closed his small, green fists and concentrated with every ounce of his considerable mind. The Force was as strong as it had ever been on Coruscant, and the Force Nexus below the temple amplified that power. He drew it in to give him strength, and felt comfort that part of his Master resided within him. Yet, as the midi-chlorians had spread these past thousands of years, he wondered just how much of it retained its sentience.

"A fool I was," he muttered mournfully, opening his eyes. There, across the chambers, stood a new person. He wasn't able to sense his presence. "And a fool I am. Filled with anger you are. Not for comfort from me do you seek. Speak young one."

"I have come to confirm your treachery," the man spoke, pulling the large shades he were from his face. His olive-green eyes were intense, and his glare was fully directed at Yoda. "Why do I lack midi-chlorians?"

Then Yoda realized who the young man was. It was the mistake that ended Kushina's life, and marked the downward spiral of his sense of right and wrong. "A gift you have been given. As you were created, you are. Fear not the strange world that you have been forced to live; further out is your domain, where the Force's influence ends. Go, and content that you are not cursed be."

"That's not a sufficient explanation," the man proclaimed, whose name was Shino, as Yoda remembered.

"A medical miracle your birth marked. Without the normal constructs of life you were born. As the Force wills, a drug switched may have been. A drug designed for midi-chlorian obliteration. Administered to your mother while in labor, perhaps this drug was." And Yoda frowned and shook his head. A casualty in his war to keep the Force alive. To keep his Master alive.

"Then where is the cure's location?" Shino demanded.

"A cure, there is not," Yoda said, striding on his short legs towards the man. "Development and research, after your birth, ended. To revert the process, impossible is."

Yoda stopped before Shino, who was now coughing intensely into a cloth he pulled from his jacket pocket. Yoda noted the specks of blood that escaped. "Then my only hope… is lost…" He coughed again, stumbling away from the small Jedi. He fell against the wall, and managed to bring in a few ragged breaths.

"A misery like no other I feel," Yoda added sadly, "For one of many hurt innocents you are." Yoda made his way from the chambers, the echo of Shino's scratchy coughs following him, reverberating off the corridor walls and adding to his list of failures.

* * *

In a flash of bright light, Naruto found himself within the temple on Coruscant. Hinata stood beside him, bewildered, and Jiraiya, Kyuubi, Kurenai were all assembled around Minato, each with a hand on his torso.

"We're here," he whispered, sounding drained. He smiled down at Naruto, who took a step back. "I couldn't sense Yoda, so I wasn't able to get us directly to him. We'll have to find him physically first." Minato took a few deep breaths as everyone pulled away from him. Naruto could tell that the technique the man used to teleport commanded a serious toll.

A large explosion rocked the temple, and Naruto could hear fighting happening down below. He could sense lives being snuffed out. Grinding his teeth, he muttered, "We need to end this. Fast."

"I'm with you there," Jiraiya agreed grimly. "Kyuubi and I will head to the Council Chambers. Minato, Kurenai, you two should go help down below. Maybe you'll be able to catch a glimpse of Yoda. Naruto, Hinata, I need the two of you to wait here. If any of us finds Yoda, we'll contact you. In the meantime, this is the halfway point between the ground floor and the Council Chambers. It's possible you'll find Yoda if we miss him. Everyone got the plan down?"

Minato gave a silent nod, and took off with Kurenai on his heels. Kyuubi grunted and turned away, his long strides accentuated by the clanking of his boots on the hard, smooth stone surface of the floor. Jiraiya gave Naruto a wink, "Try to concentrate on something other than each other while we're gone." And then he, too, was gone.

Naruto sighed, scratching his head furiously in frustration. "Why are we left here? This isn't fair."

"Maybe we should go and fight anyway," Hinata suggested, and Naruto could sense that Kyuubi's story had her riled up to face Yoda. "It's not like we can do any harm by destroying what that imposter built."

"No," Naruto stated firmly. "Master Jiraiya told us to wait here. He knows what's best."

Hinata 'hmphed' at him. "You thought the same thing of Yoda at one point."

Grimacing, Naruto turned away from her. "This isn't the same. Jiraiya is on our side for sure."

"I don't think we can trust any of them," Hinata continued. "Who's to say that not everyone has a hidden agenda? That Kyuubi isn't lying about slaughtering my entire family? That your mother wasn't killed by the red-skinned bastard himself? Maybe-"

"Maybe nothing!" Naruto roared, turning on her. The long hall on his side was extremely bright, and blazingly hot. He noticed that the hall on Hinata's side was growing darker, colder. Her eyes were completely concealed by the film of smoke that had appeared when she joined the dark side. He faulted. "Something isn't right."

"Nothing is ever right," Hinata chuckled darkly, her smile icy. "It never was and never will be. That's why we have to end this world."

"What are you saying, Hinata? Listen to yourself!" Naruto could feel the Force pumping through him now. He could feel the supercharged feeling that he felt just before that Tobirama person had taken over his body. "Something's happening…"

"You're damn straight it is," she ground out, flicking on one of her lightsabers.

"Hinata, what are you doing?" Naruto yelled, stepping further back and unclipping one of his own lightsaber hilts.

"What I should have done long ago," a voice came, but it was no longer Hinata's. It was deep, powerful, and ancient. It was the voice of Madara Uchiha.

"You're not going to get what you want, brother," Naruto blurted out, unable to control his own voice now. "I will stop you. I will end this _today_!"

And then Hinata charged, but Naruto's hands were up in an instant, his lightsaber brandished before him in a defensive stance. Then Hinata smashed into him. Naruto was thrown back several yards, until his body skidded, rolling round and round across the floor. He finally came to a stop when he thudded against the wall next to the repulsorlift.

He was completely drained. He barely had enough energy to look back to the place where Hinata – no, Madara – had attacked him. What he saw boggled his mind.

Locked lightsaber to lightsaber was Madara and Tobirama Uchiha. Tobi's white, fluffy cloak cascaded down his back in steep contrast to his brother's own pitch-black outfit. Both wore traditional swordsman armor, the lacquered, layered leather on leather with metallic studs.

"We're back, brother," Madara cackled. "And I feel better than ever."

"This is our last day, Madara. Our last fight," Tobi declared, pushing into the lock. "I'll destroy us both."

"And waste all the time and effort I've put into reassembling myself? I think not!" And then a Force wave of immense power smashed through the vestibule, knocking Naruto back into the wall after he had just regained his feet. Amazingly, Tobi had held against it.

And then another surge of energy soared through the hall, in the opposite direction. A small cry alerted Naruto to Hinata's distress, and gave him enough energy to stand once more. In the middle of the long corridor, the two brothers slashed wildly at each other with a speed Naruto knew he couldn't match. They were using his and Hinata's lightsabers, which angered the Uzumaki. But he had one still on his belt, and he thought Hinata probably did, as well.

As another crash of Force power rebounded through the hall, Naruto sprinted across the room, passing the dueling brothers. He slid to a halt beside Hinata, crouching low over her in protection.

"Are you okay? Hinata? Hinata!" She wasn't answering. He patted her cheek, and checked her pulse. She was still alive, only unconscious. Another wave of power washed over him, but he steeled himself against it and held Hinata tight to his chest.

"Tobi!" Madara roared, making Naruto look up. He saw the darker brother slash out, throwing Naruto's lightsaber high into the air. With one deft movement, Madara sent Tobirama's head rolling.

Naruto blinked in disbelief. Tobi's body fell to the floor lifelessly. Madara stood over him, laughing insanely. That is, until the disembodied head spoke. "You'll have to do better than that, brother." Naruto could sense Madara's fury as his brother's body dissolved into nearly imperceptible particles, reforming once more whole. Tobi cocked his head to the side.

"Do you remember how we came to be this way, brother? It was at this very location that we destroyed each other."

"Shut up!" Madara raged, lashing out once more. Tobirama dodged his strikes with great dexterity, eventually ducking under one and coming into Madara's defenses. Madara was sent reeling from a blow to his chest.

"We fought and fought and fought. Neither one of us could best the other." Tobi moved forward, driving Madara back even as he slashed viciously with Hinata's blade. Another strike, this time a kick, put Madara down. Hinata's lightsaber went sprawling from his hand. "And we aren't even as powerful as we used to be, but I think we can manage it one more time. We'll go out together, brother. Maybe we'll regain enough sentience in another thousand years to do battle once more, but I pray we don't."

"Why are you bent on killing us every damn time?" Madara shrieked, stumbling to his feet, retreating from his brother. "Why can't we live? It's not fair!"

"Our time is long drawn out. We are what holds this Galaxy together now. Our lives can no longer be lived for ourselves. It's for others that our power exists from now on." Tobi halted his advance and crossed his arms.

"I will not go quietly into the void again," Madara muttered darkly, wispy tendrils of darkness rising from his body. "But I'll send you there, if that's what you want!" And he tackled his brother, rocketing them both through the duracrete wall of the Temple, out into the roaring battle.

And then there was silence within the hall. Naruto summoned the two stray lightsabers using the Force. He caught them in midair with one hand, the other cradling Hinata to his chest.

"Come on, Hina. Wake up." Another explosion shook the temple, and Naruto could feel powerful Force manipulation rippling through the air. Madara's and Tobirama's battle must have continued on the ground. Dust fell into his hair from the ceiling that was beginning to crumble from the impacts below.

"Little Naru," a voice lilted from far across the vestibule. "How interesting that I find you here. What a _coincidence_!" Orochimaru giggled. He strode from the repulsorlift, his Sith blade activated and at the ready. "I think it's high time I repay you for my fine legs. For the loss of my gang. For this whole fucking mess!"

Naruto stared evenly at the acolyte. Gently, he laid Hinata on the floor and stepped over her. "For crimes against the republic and the Jedi, I, Naruto Uzumaki, sentence you to die." He hardened himself in his resolve. The man in front of him had plenty of chances for redemption. There came a point where even a Jedi must use capital punishment to ensure the safety of others.

"So, you're finally stepping off your high chair and joining us lowly murderers?" Orochimaru said with a smirk, licking his lips.

"No. I wouldn't call what I'm about to do 'murder.'" Naruto stated, activating his lightsabers.

"Oh? Little Naru, foolish boy, what else could you call ending my life?"

"Justice."

* * *

**Can you feel the end closing in? I know I can! I hope I haven't lost anyone at this point. A lot of information was packed in there. With any luck, the next few chapters should clear everything up.**

**Thanks for your support. Feel free to contact me with any questions. And, most of all, thanks for reading!**


	26. The Battle Rages On

"Justice? _Justice!_" Orochimaru chuckled. "Justice is nothing but a word. A word that's thrown around by people who want to feel they have rights to do what is wrong. Accept the guilt, Naruto. You want to kill me _because you want to_. You're not doing it for justice. You're doing it for you."

Naruto watched as the man strolled forward, the tip of his blade gliding an inch above the duracrete floor. Orochimaru stopped ten feet before the Jedi and grinned, "Justice is for the weak minded, Naruto. It's acceptance that makes you strong. Accepting yourself. Accepting the world. Accepting your _fate_. And your fate, little Naru, is to die at my hands. How's that for justice?"

"Twisted, like you." Naruto stepped forward, brandishing his lightsabers in a defensive position. He knew that Orochimaru fought with a sly variant of Form VII, in which the user of this technique would try to overpower the opponent. Just like Naruto expected, Orochimaru charged. Grabbing hold of Orochimaru with the Force and pulling him closer was the simple part. What he wasn't expecting was how easy the Sith exploded out of his power, delivering a crushing kick to his chest, rocketing Naruto backwards. With a bit of luck, the blond Jedi was able to roll to his knees and block the incoming strike.

Pushing Orochimaru's blade away and rising to his feet in one deft movement, Naruto sidestepped the acolyte's next attack and ducked the sequential slash. Unfortunately, it was a feint. Naruto spun around, stunned. He didn't register the punch, but his battle instincts took over and he completed the turn, using the momentum to bring his blade into his opponent's.

"You're not faring too well, Naru," Orochimaru laughed, but his eyes contained an insane amount of anger. What he said was true. None of the power Naruto had been feeling lately was coming to his aid, and their brief exchange proved that. He felt weaker now that Tobiramu was gone. "Perhaps you never were really as powerful as I thought," Orochimaru seethed, leaning into the lightsaber lock. "Maybe you've been lucky every…" he lashed out, catching Naruto off guard, breaking the lock. "Single." He smashed his blade against Naruto's. "Time!" A blue-white flash exploded between them. Next thing Naruto knew, he was looking up at Orochimaru from roughly ten feet away, a round burn on his chest, circled by his singed tunic. Orochimaru stood beside Hinata's prone body, and in Orochimaru's left palm was a condensed ball of Force electricity, and the look on his face was utter fury.

"Where's your justice now, little Naru? The only truly tangible thing in this universe is power. And I'm standing here with it, while you lie there panting, pathetically feeble. Here's your justice." He flicked his lightsaber off and belted it. With his now free hand, he held it out towards Hinata's defenseless body. Naruto's frantic brain sent signals to the rest of the body to move, but none of his limbs would respond. As if in slow motion, she was lifted from the rubble-strewn floor, looking every bit the sleeping beauty. As she floated at Orochimaru's side, Naruto could do nothing but look on in horror, his body useless.

"And here is my power!" The ball of refined Force energy sparked in his left hand as it exploded in her direction. Just before Orochimaru's technique made contact, time froze, and reality split apart. Nothing mattered more than Hinata – not Naruto's own existence, not even what side of the Force he had to use to save her. Through that force of will, Naruto discovered the path between the Dark and Light sides of the Force. As if looking down a tunnel that stretched on forever, Naruto could _feel_ that his goal was at the end. And he willed himself there.

A flash of golden luminescence caught Orochimaru off guard, and it was enough to snatch Hinata from his power. Just as a furious screech erupted from deep within Orochimaru, another flash parted reality and dumped Naruto and Hinata at the far side of the atrium. Naruto looked up just in time to see the snake sith's technique impact where they had been a split-second before. A sonic explosion actually popped Naruto's ears from the power of the contact.

Orochimaru's head whipped around, zeroing in on Naruto's new location. "Naru," he cried, "You've never shown this side of you before. How absolutely _thrilling_ it is to see you embrace the Dark Side."

"No," Naruto denied, standing, taking a defensive position in front of Hinata. "That's not it at all. After everything that has happened, I'm beginning to believe that we've all been mistaken about this power we have." As Naruto had been talking, Orochimaru crept closer, a crazed look in his eyes.

"Nothing is ever simple with you, is it?" He was speaking very fast now, his chest heaving. The man was deranged. "You fought for the Jedi dogma wholeheartedly, and then your little cunt of a girlfriend becomes the most notorious mass-murderer in the galaxy, which suddenly makes things clearer to you? Will you always be so fickle in your beliefs?" He stopped five feet from Naruto, close enough that Naruto could see the tendons straining against the skin of his neck, and a fat, forked vein pulsed near his right temple. "What will you decide on next, Naruto?" He screamed. "Will you decide your father is a good man? That Yoda is just as bad as Darth Sidious? What, Naruto?"

Naruto's smile disarmed the man. "Yeah, maybe."

Naruto barely parried the lightsaber before it was able to separate his head from his shoulders. Standing between Orochimaru and Hinata made Naruto's position precarious – he couldn't move backward, else he'd risk leaving Hinata helpless again. He couldn't move forward, because Orochimaru was more powerful and unrelenting than ever. He had no choice but to hold his ground in extremely close combat.

Naruto blocked three more strikes in quick succession before he managed to knick Orochimaru's armor at the shoulder. The brief breach of his defenses seemed to enrage the man further, and the next two strikes made Naruto's knees buckle from the effort it took to block them. Crouching, Naruto was forced to defend himself from Orochimaru's strikes.

With a grunt of effort, Naruto knocked Orochimaru's blade away, though the impact of the lightsabers sent a jolt up his arm. As the acolyte's arm was thrown wide, Naruto lunged, capitalizing on the opportunity. An explosion rocked the temple, causing Naruto to stumble to the side, giving Orochimaru enough leeway to roll away from his attack.

Though the temple seemed to sway underneath Naruto's feet, he managed to return to a defensive stance before Hinata, further away than before so he had more room to fight. Now several feet away, Orochimaru eyed the Jedi contemplatively. He called out, "You're doing better, Naruto. Why is that?" He rolled his neck, the subsequent popping noise heard even from the distance between the two opponents. He began to stroll forward once more, a slight spring in his step. It seemed to Naruto that the man was actually _happy. _"Is it because you have her to fight for? Or is it simply because you've embraced the dark side? Perhaps it has nothing to do with skill; maybe you're just as lucky now as you were before." He stopped within spitting distance, but didn't lash out. "I want to know before I kill you."

Deciding it was better to bide his time until Hinata recovered, Naruto answered slowly, "It's some of that, yeah. Hinata might make me strong. Embracing the Force as it was meant to be may even be the cause. But you know what _isn't_ helping, Orochimaru?" He waited, getting only an amused, belittling smile from the man. "It's anger. Looking back, anger has only clouded my judgment from the beginning. Anger made me lose control; it made me clumsy. Much like you were when I took your legs from you."

A furious screech erupted from the sith as he attacked wildly. With every block, Naruto was driven back and a jolt of pain was sent up his arms, into his shoulders. Soon after the onslaught began, Naruto found himself nearly stepping on Hinata while he parried and blocked, not having time to counterattack. A series of brutal swings made Naruto's knees buckle once more, causing him to lose balance. His feet slid back into Hinata's legs as he tried to shuffle back to his feet, making him fall back completely. Two swift strikes were delivered during the split-second drop, but Naruto, miraculously, managed to parry them. Now fighting from a precarious position, splayed atop Hinata, Naruto found it nearly impossible to completely divert Orochimaru's ferocious attacks.

The snake of a man cackled as he nicked Naruto twice, earning a grunt of pain from the young Jedi. Fortunately, they were barely even burns. But each one felt like lava oozed from the wound. Naruto swept his leg out as Orochimaru was rearing back for a devastating blow, forcing the acolyte to retreat briefly. Capitalizing on the opportunity, Naruto grabbed Hinata and forced the Dark and Light sides of the Force apart for a third time. Naruto caught a shriek of rage before the golden flash took them away, just before Orochimaru's blade could land a blow.

* * *

Kiba smiled down at the small Hyuuga girl, the one that Hinata told him to find and keep safe. After they had arrived at the Jedi Temple, he had been immediately imprisoned in a room in the lower levels. It had taken him several agonizing hours to assume his new form. He had managed to transform into the likeness of Jedi Yamanaka, and he even found fitting Jedi garb in the closet. It was child's play to trick the jailor who came to deliver his food that he had escaped, and locked the Jedi in there to prevent anyone from knowing. The alert went up, but of course no one would find him.

It wasn't long after that that the temple was attacked. One moment, everything was quiet, the next… everything shuddered, dust fell from the ceiling at regular intervals, and shouts and orders echoed off every corridor. Using his new form, Kiba managed to ask his way to the location of the little Hyuuga. She was being kept in a comfy room in the middle level of the tower. He found her there, actually sleeping through the raucous.

"Come on, Hanabi. Not much further," Kiba said softly, practically pulling the girl along. He looked back just in time to see her nod bravely, though he wasn't sure if she understood him or not.

As they rounded a corner, Kiba stopped cold. At the other end was the man with the spiky warrior's tale and green flak jacket, flicking his lightsaber off, which retracted the blade from a body lying before him. His cold, narrow brown eyes met Kiba's own orange eyes. Kiba smiled at the man nervously, not sure what to do. Kiba wasn't a warrior, and he wasn't used to his new form. In fact, it was the first time he had ever transformed into anything other than his normal canine and human self. The man stalked closer, clutching his weapon tightly.

"Uh, hey, Shika," Kiba adlibbed, just barely remembering the man's name, but deciding to give him a moniker in hopes that it would endear him. The man charged.

"No, wait!" Kiba cried out, letting go of the Hyuuga's hand. Shikamaru lunged, his feet leaving the ground. Deciding it was all over, Kiba closed his eyes and cringed.

A great rush of power that even he could feel blew past Kiba, actually ruffling his clothes in its wake. His eyes snapped open just in time to see the man crash to the floor several yards away, unconscious, arms splayed out. Kiba turned around, yet no one but the girl was near. He stared at he, dumbfounded. "You?"

She stared back at him blankly. Shaking his head, Kiba grabbed her hand and began the trek once more. As they passed the man, Kiba muttered an apology. He noticed the man stir, and was thankful that she hadn't killed him. But it was just one more reason to get out of there all the more quickly.

They didn't run into any more trouble, aside from having to climb over debris and bodies in some places. Off of one of them, Kiba took a blaster pistol just in case and stowed it away in his tunic. Finally, they reached a repulsorlift that would take them to a hangar. Fortunately, it was still operational. As they waited for it to arrive, Kiba looked around nervously. The cracked, grey walls were unimpressive, and the warm blue carpet was dirtied and frayed by the battle. The repulsorlift was at a three way junction, meaning he had to keep a lookout in all three directions to ensure their safety. Unfortunately, a squadron of shock troopers came marching down one of the side corridors.

"Fire!" he heard one yell. The doors of the repulsorlift opened with a soft chime at that moment. Kiba grabbed the girl and dove in as the spray of blasterfire shot past. Mashing the buttons on the terminal, Kiba cursed and prayed for the doors to close before they could come close enough to shoot inside. Taking its sweet time, the doors finally shut as he caught a flicker of movement just outside of range.

Kiba let out a breath of relief as he felt the drag on his body that meant they were moving up. He smiled over at the little girl, "See? This isn't so bad. No problem." She only nodded at him.

The lift chimed, and the doors slid open.

Kiba pressed the girl against the side of the lift, then peeked around the corner of the opening. The launchpad had very few vehicles left, and the few that remained were being rapidly filled with fleeing younglings. A swish of gold caught his eye, and he glimpsed the ponytail of the woman he was impersonating. Her hair flopped around from her erratic moves as she hopped around yelling orders, even as plaster and duracrete fell around her. Kiba winced as he saw a smaller piece of debris strike her on the head, making her stumble. Regardless, she stood back up straight and shouted even more fiercely.

When she coordinated the last ship's launch, he could see her visibly relax, her muscles unclenching. To his alarm, her legs gave out, and she collapsed to her hands and knees. Despite his appearance, he knew he had to check up on her. Grabbing the Hyuuga's hand, the two finally left the lift and sprinted for the Jedi.

Kiba slid to a crouch beside the blonde, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you okay?"

The woman immediately snapped to attention, her glare turning round on him. "Who are you?" she bit out, shrugging away his touch and pulling herself back to her feet in one deft movement. Blood matted her hair at her at the crown of her skull, and he could see blood dripping from her left ear.

"Er, I'm…. you… from the future?" He laughed nervously, but she wasn't having it. Her hand went to the lightsaber on her belt.

Kiba threw out his hands, yelling, "Okay! Okay, I'm Kiba!" She stared at him flatly. "Ugh, the guy you captured when you ran into that CIS fleet. The very fleet that's attacking right now! Remember?"

"Oh, yeah… How did you escape? More importantly, why do you look like me?" As Kiba opened his mouth to answer, she just grunted and moved faster than he could have believed. Her hand was pressed flat against his forehead, and he could feel something seep out of him. He shivered. "I'm very good at seeing memories through the Force. This is a lot faster than you explaining everything… Hmm… So you weren't lying back on the ship." She took back her hand. "Well, Gurlanin, there's no point in us fighting now. There's enough of that to do with the CIS…" Then she cringed, falling to one knee, her head in her hands. Her blood leaked between her fingers.

"Oh, no…" Kiba whispered, kneeling beside her.

"I'll be fine," Ino ground out, removing her hands. She looked up into Kiba's bright orange eyes. "That girl is the last child left in the Temple. If you had come here sooner… She could have…" The Jedi grunted again, then returned to her feet. "I can sense that she has some talent with the Force. I thought nothing of it when we were on the ship, but I think it means something now. Master Yoda told me to protect the Younglings. I couldn't get them to the lower atriums, so I had to get them all out of the Temple. And now this little girl's life is in my… _our_ hands. We have to protect her. With our lives."

Kiba swallowed a lump in his throat. He didn't like what she was implying. He nodded slowly, never taking his eyes off hers. She smiled at him, her eyes glistening with… tears of sadness? Happiness? Something in-between?

"Okay, how do we get her out of here?" Kiba asked with determination in his voice.

"Hah," she scratched out, giving him a course grin, "I have no clue."

At that moment, the thrum of an engine pierced the air. Kiba saw the source just in time to dive out of the way, taking Ino and the girl down with him. He glanced up to see the crash landing of the ship, but the hangar was quickly filling with smoke. A hatch popped. A very familiar looking hatch...

"Just what the fuck is going on down here? Shit." A loud voice wailed, which was followed by a repeated banging noise. "Piece of junk. I knew I should have taken one of father's newer models but nooo... I just had to bring Kiba's garbage cruiser to him. Oi, Kimimaro, you still alive?"

A cold shill crept down Kiba's neck. Tayuya.

A soft breeze carried through the war-torn hangar, shifting the smoggy haze away from the wreckage briefly. And there she was, the princess of Tatooine, the daughter of Gato. Tayuya's glorious, long, pink hair split off into several tresses across her face, and a long sheet down her back. The cap she wore was slightly askew, and it reminded him of the day her dad gave it to her.

"He says it will respond to my neuro signals and amplify the sound around me... an emergency weapon, if I lose my flute." She had told him, blushing. It was the only time he knew of her to be self-conscious, and it had been too cute. When he had remarked about the weird, metal attachments at the top, she had hit him... but playfully.

When the man she called for emerged from the ship, she glanced around. Her eyes immediately zoned in on Kiba's, and then narrowed. When she saw that he was practically lying on top of Ino and Hanabi, her eyes flared up.

"You son of a bitch, do you think you can hide from me in that form? And who the fuck are they?" She screamed out, storming in Kiba's direction. Kiba hurriedly got to his feet, trying to think of something to say. He heard the shuffling of movement from the two behind him, letting him know they, too, were getting up.

"Tayuya... What, ah, what are you doing here?" Kiba tried to force a smile, but the glare she gave him melted that away fast.

"I am Ino Yamanaka, Jedi Knight. I-"

"Shut up, slut. I wasn't talking to you," Tayuya spat in Ino's direction, then rounded off on Kiba, shoving her face so close to Kiba's transformed one that their noses touched. "Who the hell do you think you are? I've had to chase you all the way across the galaxy because you think you can run out on me? And when the fuck did you decide to start using your powers? Or were you lying to me about not being able to transform? Furthermore, fucker, I-" but she was unable to finish her sentence, as the temple shifted a few degrees and shuddered, throwing her forward, knocking Kiba and herself to the floor.

"Tayuya, I've thought about you a lot since I left..." he began, but she only glared down at him. She lay atop his feminine form, and his breath quickened. Her face was closing the distance between them.

She kissed him firmly on the lips, surprising the hell out of him. Warm tears splashed down on his cheeks, and suddenly he was overwhelmed with emotion for her. He never knew he'd cause her so much pain if he left. He had begun to think she didn't care at all, at the end.

Her hair brushed his face as she maneuvered her lips to his ear. "I've missed you so much, you bastard," her voice croaked. Kiba couldn't help but grab her and hug her tight. And he was happy.

"You always were a sore loser," Kiba said with a chuckle, and she nipped his ear in response.

Ino cleared her throat, startling the two. Kiba looked up to see her face as red as Kyuubi's skin. "As much as I _love _ seeing _my_ body making out with another female, I think we should put the well being of this child before any personal revelations." She glared accusingly at Kiba, and he saw that Ino had actually covered Hanabi's eyes. But then another drop of blood dripped from her chin, and Kiba trailed it with his eyes. It made the battle all the more real, and that they were, in fact, all in danger.

"Don't you ever leave me again, you fucking prick," Tayuya growled huskily, catching Kiba's eyes with a twinkle in her own. And she gave him that cocky smirk. He had never been turned on so much in his life, female body or not.

"Lady Tayuya, I've run the ship through a quick diagnostic analysis. Only one engine works, and it can no longer reach pressurization. When we took that artillery on the way in, it completely destroyed the nav system, too. I'm not sure if we can get that thing out of here." Kimimaro appeared over Tayuya's shoulder, speaking in his usual monotone.

Tayuya grunted and got back to her feet, and Kiba did the same. He stared at the ship that Tayuya had given him back on Tatooine. The ship that had been ransacked before he left the planet with Hinata, trying to escape Tayuya's wrath. Putting his hands on his slender hips, Kiba cocked a grin. "There's nothing I can't fly."

With a 'pssst', the lifts on all sides of the hangar slid open. Suddenly, there were CIS shock troopers pouring out synchronously, blaster rifles raised. "Get to the ship," Kiba shouted, lunging for Hanabi. He scooped her into her arms as Tayuya and Kimimaro made a mad dash for his craft. Kiba wasn't far behind them, and Ino was hot on his heels.

Kimimaro pulled himself up onto the hatch, which didn't quite reach the ground due to the awkward landing, and then helped Tayuya in. Kiba held up Hanabi, letting Kimimaro hoist the girl up. Just as Kiba was about to get in as well, he noticed Ino's hesitation.

"Come on!" he urged. She turned her head, looking back at him with a sad smile, her left eye completely blinded by blood.

"I'll keep them away while you guys lift off. Keep her safe, Gurlanin."

Kiba was caught up in the injustice of it all for an entire second before he pulled himself together. "Stay alive, Jedi." And then he was inside.

* * *

Hinata groaned as she slowly sat up, her head spinning. Where was she? When she opened her eyes, the building lurched suddenly, giving her a sense of vertigo. She got to her hands and knees and felt she was about to lose the contents of her stomach.

"Hinata?" Naruto said worriedly, his shadow coming into view on the floor before her. She looked up and could feel the tears in her eyes. Despite her upset stomach, she had a newfound sense of peace within her. The dark side of the Force no longer gnawed at the edges of her mind, and Madara's presence was gone.

"Naruto..." she laughed. "He's _gone_." She leaned backwards to settle on the back of her calves, then let out a laugh. Though the world around her was a cacophony of war noises, dust fell from the ceiling into her upturned face, and the building was swaying dangerously, she allowed herself to just laugh. It felt good.

"Not gone," Naruto said with a sigh when she quieted down. "Free."

Hinata watched him as he limped over to a nearby window, its stained glass shattered all over the floor. He gripped the sill with one hand, while the other covered his sternum. Hinata could sense his pain through the Force. She got to her feet slowly, making sure that her body had settled enough for movement. Then she went to him, hugging him gently from behind.

"How did we get here? What happened?"

And so he told her. He told her about the fight between the two brothers, about Orochimaru's surprise visit... and about his separation of the Force itself. "I thought I was going to lose you, Hinata. It ripped me in two. Somehow I managed to manifest how I felt into the Force, actually splitting space apart... at least, that's what it seemed like to me. I have no idea if that's what happened." He gave a soft chuckle. "It didn't matter. It still doesn't. I got you out of there safe."

"Yeah..." Hinata agreed, running her hand up his torso to meet his hand. Gently she pushed it away, then laid her palm over the abnormally warm patch of skin. "But what about you? You're hurt..."

"It's nothing I can't handle. I had no idea he had advanced his techniques so much since we last fought." Both of Naruto's hands closed around her own then. "Tobirama and Madara aren't our problem anymore. They _are _the Force. There's nothing we could do to interfere with their dealings. That just leaves Master Yoda to us. The CIS and Republic are locked together in combat, leaving him unguarded. If we could just get him alone... ask him what he's been up to. I think he'd tell us the truth of it all, Hinata."

"Maybe." She doubted it. There were too many lies floating around, and she didn't like it. Whether Yoda killed her family or Kyuubi lied about that, too, it didn't matter. She was dead set on getting rid of Yoda regardless. Though Madara had finally made his grand exit, it made things a lot more complicated for Hinata. She knew she could blame what happened on Corellia on Madara's interference with her powers, but the way she felt about the corruption within the High Council... she knew for sure that it was all her.

Naruto undid her hold on him, and turned within her arms. He looked down at her with a cocky grin. "When this is all over, I think we deserve a vacation, don't you?" And he kissed her. She giggled her assent, returning his affection.

"More than I, none could agree." Spoke the small Grand Jedi Master Yoda. "Come for me, have you? Hmm?"

At the sound of Yoda's voice, Hinata had jerked away from Naruto and stood between him and Yoda. She now stared hatefully at the little green being. Though Madara no longer dwelled in the back of her mind, she could feel the black tendrils of power from the Dark Side seeping into her, whispering to her... and it scared her. Almost as much as it steeled her resolve to remove Yoda from the realm of the living. "You killed my father," was all she could think to say. Nothing else seemed sufficient. Naruto's hand went to the small of her back.

Yoda moved across the threshold of the doorway, though it did not slide close behind him. "Many things for this world have I done. From me, different you think you are?" His eyes were bore a dark strength, but conveyed a sad history of painful choices.

"I'll kill you!" Hinata screamed, rocketing forward, her lightbreaker brandished outward. Though she had not seen the Grand Master move, his green blade met her void of a weapon, and he gave an effortless parry. His lightsaber crackled, and she saw him cock an eyebrow. Hinata allowed herself a small smirk, then lashed out once more. Then again, and again. She twirled, bringing her lightbreaker to meet his lightsaber for one last time before his weapon shorted out. Hinata kicked out with her leg to keep him at a distance, expecting him to dodge so she could take a stab at him.

He didn't. He took the full brunt of the kick, all in the palm of his tridactyl hand. His hilt had already been put away, and his other hand lashed out, fingers extended, palm out. A powerful Force grip took her and she felt herself _launch_ from the room. She flew thirty feet easily before she managed to regain control of her own momentum and land in a roll, just short of the wall opposite the room she had so ungracefully exited. She found herself at the end of a long mezzanine, with the room at the very other end. Yoda gave her a solemn stare, just before the door slid shut.

With a furious screech, Hinata propelled herself forward with a mixture of power pulled from the Force as a whole, not as a part of any side. Pillars blurred in her vision for a brief instant before she collided with the reinforced blastdoor, putting a large dent squarely in the center. Another explosion made the entire architecture of the temple shudder, and Hinata could hear the specially crafted spires screech as their magnate bent.

"Naruto!" She called, beating her fists bloody on the metal. "Naruto!"

What did that green bastard want with him? And then she heard his voice

* * *

**I just cannot decide how this ends. There is a bad ending, there is a good ending. Oh, choices. I'm sure some of you are more of the opinion: "Oh, bother, just let it **_**end**_** sometime this century." Well, that's the plan. Thanks for reading!**


	27. The End

**A/N:**

**It's been a long journey, and this is the toughest and longest chapter I've ever written. I hope you enjoyed the ride, and I thank you for sticking with me. Please enjoy the last chapter of **_**Naruto: Jedi vs Sith**_**.**

* * *

Naruto stared flatly at the person he had looked up to all his life. The greatest Jedi to ever exist. And, in light of recent events, possibly the first. All he could think about was wanting answers. He did not seek revenge - he did not share Hinata's blind hatred for him. He just wanted to understand. He wanted to obtain clarity.

"Why, Master? Why has all this come to be - is this all your doing, after all?" Naruto stepped forward, shaking his head. "Are you not who you've claimed to be all these years?"

"Expect you to understand, I do not. Come to explain, I have. The truth, before my death, I must tell." Yoda spoke softly as he knelt into a position of meditation, despite the clamor Hinata was making behind him.

Naruto limped forward and sat before him, taking the same position. "I am ready to listen."

"Hm. Naruto, the best of us, you are. Of the origins of the galaxy as we know it, to tell you, pains me it does. At the beginning, I will start."

* * *

Yoda trailed his Master as they walked through the stable regions of the swamp. Tobirama whistled a tune that the youthful Yoda was more than happy to listen to.

With a hand rested on the pommel of his sword, Tobi smiled down at his apprentice. "My brother says he has some plans to advance what we can do. He says he's found the reason we can do these things - he says we could even gain more power." And from a tall vine snaking around an ancient tree, a small fruit floated down to land in Tobi's outstretched palm. "Just imagine what lies ahead of us if we become stronger!"

"Trust him, I do not," Yoda said simply, though he trusted his Master more than his own feelings of distrust. Tobirama had taken Yoda under his wing long ago, and for that, Yoda was eternally grateful. "For many years, him we have yet to see. Suspicious, I grow."

"He's my brother, my young disciple. The only other human on the planet. I can't just cut ties with him - we crashed here together. Our bonds are too strong. It will be all right, Yoda." He smiled briefly before sinking his teeth into the flesh of the purple fruit. Azure juice trickled from the corner of the man's mouth.

Yoda furrowed his brow with closed eyes and concentrated all his thoughts into a single pinpoint, then unleashed his mind. A simultaneous string of _pops_ sounded out, just before every fruit in the immediate vicinity fell from their bindings. Some splattered to the more firm areas of the swamp, others just sunk halfway into the thick, murky water. A small headache formed at the back of Yoda's skull.

"With training... with a boost in _power_, we could do so much more than this. We could... We could-"

"Get home, brother. My thoughts exactly. With the right amount of power, we could sail the cosmos, no man-made ships required." Madara stepped out from around a rather large, gnarled tree trunk. He placed his palm against the bark and rested his weight on the arm, gesturing his free hand at Yoda and his Master. "Unless you're content with gathering fruit for your meals, and leaving it at that."

"Hello, brother," Tobi said, tossing the last bit of his fruit aside. "Care to explain your plan to accomplish all of this?"

"I've discovered the source of our power. It's a microorganism that attaches itself to all life on this planet. It multiplies rapidly when closer to other members of its kind. The more of them there are, the faster they reproduce. Something in our genetic coding allows us to control them, feel them, even destroy them. Yet, once they attach themselves to a life form, destroying them will destroy its host as well." Madara gave a frown that didn't look very sincere to Yoda.

"You're saying we could kill anything on this planet with a thought?" Tobirama asked with incredulity.

"If skilled enough, yes." Madara replied, his frown deepening. He was now concentrating on one of the fallen fruits, and his look sent a chill up Yoda's spine. Yoda watched in awe and horror as the fruit began to shrivel and blacken. Madara's face was completely red as blood rushed to his head, and eventually his concentration broke. He grunted in pain, shaking his head as if to clear it. Smoothing his long hair back into place, he gave a victorious smile. "Need any more proof?"

Ominously, a bead of blood trailed Madara's upper lip for just a moment before he wiped it away.

A moment of silence passed between the three. Finally, Tobi muttered, "And what is your plan? How do you intend to use this knowledge?"

"We have to release these organisms from the planet. Allow them to spread across the galaxy. Eventually, they'll have multiplied enough that we'd have power nearly everywhere. Even if we didn't, we already have the ones attached to our own bodies. Manipulating those, we could have power for a limited distance in areas where none of these microorganisms can be found. I was thinking of calling them midichlorians. What do you think?"

"What you like, them you may call. Of destroying my planet you speak!" Yoda stepped around Tobi, his hands balled into fists. "Allow this, I will not."

"Ah, Yoda. I would have thought you of all people would understand. Your race is a savage bunch. Superstitious, unwilling to learn. They threw you out of your village for speaking to us 'outsiders!' Do you really think they are worth the galaxy? These microorganisms should belong to everything and everyone. These midichlorians have the potential to be the weapon of peace, domination, anything! We would be advancing this galaxy into a completely different era!"

"Your truth, laced with malice is. Allow this, I will not," Yoda repeated, striding forward faster than any human could track. Once upon Madara, Yoda lashed out wildly as the man toppled over. Something exploded into Yoda's chest, his eyes instinctively closing. He opened his eyes, finding himself in a wrecked brush, a trail of disturbed swamp led to where he lay. Every bone in his body was afire. "A monster, you are," he coughed out, seeing the two brothers several yards before him.

"I am truly sorry for your loss, Yoda, but you must see that this has to happen. And you cannot stop it." Madara turned around and gazed in the direction of the largest village on the planet – Yoda's old village. "I've discovered a type of stone that absorbs these midichlorians. And I've labeled our power – the effects of manipulating the midichlorians. The Force seems sufficient, don't you think? Nevertheless, I've dubbed this type of stone a Force Nexus. And I've been storing midichlorians in it for the last few years. It resides just below your village, Yoda. And it's overflowing with power… I can feel it, even from way out here. It cannot hold them all." He turned around, a grimace on his face. "I did not realize what I had done until it was too late. The Nexus will erupt, the midichlorians bursting forth, and this planet's surface will be vaporized and converted into pure Force power. The eruption will be so strong, midichlorians will be launched from this planet, released into the galaxy."

Yoda couldn't move, and he couldn't tell if it was completely from the horror of the situation, or his injuries. All he could do was gape at his master, whose hands clenched and opened repeatedly. Finally, his master sighed. "We have no choice, then. We need to leave the planet."

"I've been preparing our ships for this moment. We do not yet have the power to manifest a world as a ship. But there is just barely room for the three of us, since I had to use parts from both ships to repair just one. We cannot take anyone else." Madara looked towards Yoda, whose eyelids were slowly drooping as he began to lose consciousness. Yoda saw a look of sadness upon his face, but behind that, he could see… no, _sense_, a greed for power. And as he went under, he knew that Madara would not be satisfied with just this planet.

When next he opened his eyes, he had awoken just in time to witness his planet be consumed by the Force from the safety of orbit.

"This is the start of a new era, brothers." Madara looked towards Yoda. "For we are now brothers, sharing in the destruction of a planet, and the glorious creation of a new, better galaxy. We will find others like us." He turned his gaze to back to the planet, which was now emitting a faint blue glow. "And we'll need to regulate this power. I suggest we form a faction for these people. Set guidelines. We could accomplish greater things in larger numbers." And now he was smiling, but Yoda could see Tobi stare suspiciously at his brother, frowning deeply.

"Yes, this will be a glorious time for us."

* * *

"And went on, it did," Yoda spoke softly, his head now bowed deeply. The temple shook violently, plaster, duracrete, and dust falling about them. "Formed, was the Jedi. The Code created. From planet to planet, we would recruit. And grow, our numbers did. Enough, it was not."

The clamor behind Yoda had ceased. The room went eerily silent as the Grand Master began speaking again.

* * *

"Brother, what have you done?" Tobi roared, flipping down the fur-lined hood of his heavy coat. Snow began filling his long, similarly colored hair immediately. Yoda pulled his cloak tighter around his small frame.

"The Force is not spreading fast enough, and has grown ever more thin. We need another injection of midichlorians into the galaxy." Madara took his hands away from the Nexus, which was actually an entire mountain. For years, he had been secretly filling the mountain with midichlorians, claiming to remain on the planet for meditation. Yoda and Tobi had only returned to seek him out for help with some Jedi that were abusing their powers.

"What is your excuse for not evacuating these people this time, brother?" Tobi demanded angrily.

Madara stared at him flatly. "You know as well as I that the midichlorians multiply faster in the presence of life. These people and the creatures of this planet are being sacrificed for the greater good."

"I will not allow this," Tobi said through grit teeth, drawing his long katana. Madara put his hand on his hilt, but did not draw.

"I don't wish to fight you, brother. What's done is done. Let us leave this place before it is too late – the time draws dangerously close."

"Yoda, take the ship and leave. I will hold my brother here. He will reap what he's sown." At this, Madara narrowed his eyes and drew his blade.

"Don't think me so easily held, brother." Madara swung low, but Tobirama parried. Many more times did Madara lash out, only to be blocked or parried.

"Go!" Tobirama called, and Yoda bowed deeply. He turned on his heels and ran towards the hangar that was built into the mountain.

As he ran, Yoda could hear the song of steel playing behind him. His own weapon clattered at his hip, though it was much shorter than his master's. Just before he reached the hangar, he heard his master yell out: "Illum is not your play thing, and neither was Coruscant. I will not allow this again!"

And then Yoda was in his ship. He felt powerful waves of the Force wash over him, and he knew the Nexus was overflowing, nearly ready to burst. His fingers worked swiftly across the terminal, and he lost precious seconds waiting for the engine to warm up from the subzero weather. Just when he thought he'd never make it in time, the ship was ready. He engaged the burners and put the craft at full power, erupting from the hangar and pulling several G's as he ascended. Below him, he actually felt the Nexus release its magnificent power upon the planet.

The Force trailed after him, a dangerous level of midichlorians bent on vaporizing all life in order to reproduce ever faster. Yet, something was strange about them now. He could feel a tug of two different kinds of Force – one that felt _dark_, and the other _light_.

Somehow, his ship made it out of range of the storm of midichlorians that was now consuming the planet. And a deep sadness overcame him from the loss of his master. Though he had trained for nearly fifty years with the man, and aged not a day, he felt it was too short a time.

Yet, he felt his master was with him. And he knew why the Force had now divided into two different streams – one made up of the converted midichlorians of his master, and the other side of Madara.

* * *

"That's just… it can't be…" Naruto shook his head, trying to wrap his head around it. "Your planet was Coruscant? The city-planet Coruscant? _This_ planet?"

Yoda laughed. "By that fact, you are astounded? Of the origin of the Force, you are confused not?"

"Well, yeah. Everything was destroyed! And this planet is supposed to be swampy!"

"This, many thousands of years ago occurred. Chose this planet for the Jedi base, I did. Grew from that, this city planet has."

The temple shook again, breaking the silence between them. Naruto sighed. "Then how did they come back? They were vaporized…."

"The Force, they now are. Forever living, they will be. Every thousand years or so, amass enough midichlorians to revive, they do. Utilizing avatars, like Hinata and yourself, store these midichlorians they can. Yet, proper avatars, very rare are, hm? Special, the two of you." Yoda now sighed. "Destruction, their battles always bring. Prevent their return, I try. For this reason, I as a Jedi, and you, I have failed. Shino's mother, given a serum meant for your mother, was. Forcing him without midichlorians to be. Kushina, in the mixup, killing…. Hm…" He groaned again, and Naruto could see a small reflection of a single tear that trailed his aged face.

"Forced, in an attempt to stop Hinata as being an avatar, I was. Horribly wrong, it went. Bought out by Darth Sidius, her father was. Meant to kill her, Hiashi did. At that moment, how wrong I was, I realized. The entire family, out for Hinata's blood, they were. No other choice, I had…"

And Naruto could see the rest. Yoda had to slay all that attempted to harm her, destroying an entire family, a clan, and even a kingdom.

"You've been through a lot and had to make many tough decisions, Master." Yet, Naruto didn't know what to truly think. He was still just trying to accept everything he was being told.

"Your father, for the sake of Hinata never knowing the truth, I blamed. Turned on me, he had. Nothing I said, have changed him could."

And another silence passed between them as they brooded over the information that had been shared.

* * *

Hinata had long since ceased from trying to enter the room. Though the blastdoor was caved in and deeply battered, it was pointless to keep at it. She suspected that it was lined with cortosis, as well, since her lightsaber would short out each time she tried to penetrate it with the weapon.

"Hinata?" came an incredulous voice.

Hinata looked over her shoulder from where she knelt, sitting on her thighs. When she saw the pink hair, her eyes narrowed and her hand went to her lightsaber hilt. "Come to stab me in the back?"

"N-no!" Sakura said, waving her palms before her. "I just… why are you sitting there? Why aren't you out there leading your forces?"

Hinata couldn't hold back the snort of laughter. "My forces? All I ever cared about was Naruto… and revenge. I'm becoming more and more platonic about this place as time passes. I'm just ready to get this all over with, and to hell with the Confederacy _and_ the Republic."

"Right… Hinata, I-"

"I don't want to hear it. You got what you wanted. Go be with him. Why should I care that the closest friend I had abandoned me when I was most vulnerable." Hinata turned her eyes back on the blastdoor that she had caved in, but couldn't quite break in.

"Hinata… I'm so sorry about everything. About what happened in the Getsuei system… about leaving you. But you were _different_. You weren't _you_." Sakura pleaded.

Hinata stood up, whipping around as she did so. She marched towards a now flustered looking Sakura, an angry, hurt tone tingeing her voice, "So your solution was to leave me? To just give up on me? I was in a bad situation, I had _something_ in me, _something_ influencing me. Instead of helping me, as a friend would, you condemn me for a lost cause and choose to believe the worst of me." And now Hinata was right before Sakura, who looked both regretful and fearful.

Despite Sakura flinching slightly, Hinata took her into a tearful hug. "I never wanted to destroy that planet," she sobbed. "I never wanted to cause so much suffering. I… I…" And now she became incoherent, her feet giving way from under her. Sakura took her weight in her arms and lowered the both of them to the detritus-ridden floor, pulling Hinata into a warm hug. Hinata heard Sakura sob with her, and could feel her hot tears on her neck. They sat there, crying into each other's shoulders for a while.

"I really missed you," Hinata croaked, hugging her friend ever tighter. She had steeled herself from the betrayal she had felt at Sakura's hand all this time, and had not allowed herself to think of the pink haired Jedi.

"I'm so sorry, Hinata. I've been so terrible to you…." Sakura breathed out between sobs, and suddenly more tears formed at the corners of Hinata's eyes.

And suddenly Hinata was laughing, crying tears of joy. Finally, something was going right for her.

* * *

"Kept Sidious close, I planned. The new avatar, him I thought to be. So sweet, little Hinata was. Mistaken, I must have been. Wrong, oh so wrong. Everything, my fault is, yes? Yet, end here, the sorrow does not." He bowed his head low. "Of the Republic, an enemy she now is. Naruto, to you, for help I now look." The old Master paused, laboriously bringing himself to his inconsiderable height.

"I will do my best, Master," Naruto said, feeling great empathy for the being that has watched the galaxy grow into what it now is, completely alone in that sort of responsibility.

"Protect her, Naruto. Remain the Planet Conquerer she must. That, nothing can change. Unite the galaxy, bearing this burden, you can. The love you both share, stronger than the entire Jedi Order is. With Kyuubi, end this war we can. Yet, the horrible truth, I have yet to tell." A rapid series of explosions didn't even phase Naruto, so concentrated on the Grand Master was he.

"End, at the cost of an entire planet's life-force, this battle between two gods will. Always has, always will. You, to unite the Republic and CIS, I need. Discovered the path between the Force, you have. The Pure Force, a form not even Tobirama or Madara use. Nor I, been able to completely separate myself from my Master's side, have. Special, you and your Uncle are. With great remorse must I ask this of you. Coruscant, Naruto, you must protect. Tobirama and Madara, to a CIS planet you must bring. With the destruction of the inhabitants, a truce, formed will be-"

"Against the Planet Conqueror," Naruto said, stunned.

Yoda only nodded, his grim face solemn in his request.

"She's suffered so much, Master. I… She'll never again be safe." He shook his head, not quite believing what was being asked of him. "I need to talk to her first."

"Running short, time is. Decide, you must. Stall their mutual destruction while you discuss it, I will." As he turned from Naruto, Yoda paused and looked back. "Thank you, Naruto. And good luck." With a wave of his small hand, the blastdoor was pulled free of its hinges, and tossed aside as if it were no more than a paper weight. Yoda strode through the exit at a speed any Jedi would be surprised at.

He was gone, and Hinata came rushing in, throwing herself into Naruto, embracing him. He chuckled, stumbling back due to his injured leg. She smiled sheepishly when she remembered, but giggled anyway. When Sakura stepped uncertainly in, Naruto just raised an eyebrow at her.

As if insisting that time was a precious commodity, the temple shook again. With a deep sigh, Naruto said, "Hinata, we need to talk."

* * *

"Ino!" Shikamaru gasped, bursting from the lift. He spun in a wide circle, kicking out with his legs. Three lost their footing, and then his lightsaber was out. Two more lost their heads before the others could even react. Just as the heads landed on the floor, five more joined them. The last three were the ones he had tripped in the first place, but he had attacked so fast that they were only just beginning to regain their footing.

A volley of plasma bolts rained down on him, but his deft movements easily deflected all of them. Many of the bolts made their way back into the shooters' chests. He decided to leave the last three, dashing to where he felt, however weakly, Ino's life force.

"Shikamaru?" Ino whispered, just as the man slid in beside her. She was hiding behind a pile of Shock Trooper bodies in a corner. Many of the soldiers had been reluctant to move into close range after the first platoon was slaughtered.

"You're bleeding…" Shikamaru said, a physical pain overcoming him at seeing her hurt. He cupped her chin in his hand and examined the room. If not for the blood loss, Ino would have been blushing profusely.

"Eh, a scratch," She stubbornly pulled away from him, but her heavy breathing, slumped posture, and slight shaking did not escape Shikamaru's notice.

"I have to get you out of here." He said, determination perforating his voice. She looked up at him, crouched above her, and smiled.

"That would be nice, dummy."

With a single nod, Shikamaru stood to his full height, the bodies no longer providing cover. His lightsaber flashed before him instinctively, protecting his body from the incoming fire. He surveyed the hangar.

Ten troops covered each hangar, besides the one he had come out of. The last three soldiers there were shaken, but keeping their position. Another hundred were scattered into small groups around. He crouched once more, having taken out another ten while deflecting the bolts.

"This is looking grim. They've secured this hangar to bring in reinforcements from the air. The Temple is lost." At the sight of Ino's blank stare, only a small resemblance of comprehension in her eyes, Shikamaru knew she was in worse condition than he had initially thought. He nodded. He'd have to clear the room to get her safely away.

Breathing out, he sat, crossed his legs, and put his fingers together before him. He pushed away all thought of the war, of Ino's waning strength, of the hundred or so soldiers he had to deal with. All of it was emptied out of his mind. Nothing was left but his connection to the Force. And then he used this power, letting explode out of him in streams, enough tendrils of concentration to touch every enemy in the room. Eyes closed tightly in concentration, Shikamaru stood up, the hangar eerily silent.

He knew, subconsciously, as he couldn't think of anything but the task at hand, that every body in the room was now directly connected to his own. And since he was in the corner furthest away from the open hangar bay, all he had to do was run for it, his enemies having no choice but to copy his own movements. So that's what he did, no emotion registering at the slaughter. The Force filled him completely.

Almost as if waking from a dream, Shikamaru's eyes slowly opened. He gazed out of the bay, where ships danced a deadly dance, firing constantly at one another amidst a setting sun, smoke rising from every inch of the Temple grounds. And now, directly below, over a hundred Shock Troopers had met their sudden ends. But the Force had hardened him to this fact, so it was easy for him to pick up the blonde girl he had come to save.

It was easy for him to carry her to the repulsorlift, her body lying limp in his arms.

What wasn't easy was that there was no way she would survive.

He cradled her in the corner of the lift as it made its shaky descent. "Shika," she croaked, and he gazed down at her face, which was as beautiful as ever, even though it was caked with blood. And pale, so pale...

"I can't live without you, Ino. Please don't go," he managed to say around the lump in his throat. He saw his tears splash down onto her cheeks. He roughly wiped his face on his grimy sleeve. Even through it all, she was smiling.

"There is no death, there is the Force," Ino said softly.

"Please, don't spout the Jedi Code at a time like this. Ino… I need you. Tell me you'll stay." It was no use trying to control his tears now; they flowed freely down his face, and the lump in his throat was constricting, suffocating him, putting him in pain. But nothing compared to the pain he felt in his chest as he watched her dying in his arms.

"I will… stay," Ino said, closing her eyes. "Pro…mise."

The Force couldn't harden him for this. His connection to the Force actually allowed him to feel it happen. Her essence, her being, her soul was no longer in that damaged body.

"Liar," Shika sobbed, holding her lifeless body close to his chest, burying his face in her blood-soaked hair. Not even the cacophony of war could drown out his anguished cry.

* * *

Kimimaro had been monitoring the blonde girl through the Force since they evacuated the hangar. He stood behind his mistress, who was in a playful conversation with the female Kiba, teasing and prodding him, making his entire face flush. He broke his deep concentration, giving out an uncharacteristic sigh. This made Tayuya become immediately silent. She glanced back at him, and knew what had happened at once.

The small child strapped into the seat beside where Kimimaro stood began to wail, balling her fists into her eyes.

Kiba grimaced, performing a particularly difficult turn, especially since the ship was damaged.

"That idiot…" Kiba choked out.

Kimimaro could only stand there as the ship rocked, and stare forward. He didn't know how to console the little girl, and so he wouldn't try, for fear of making it worse.

Tayuya undid her own fastenings, despite Kimimaro's own protests (since he was only standing due to there only being three seats in the ship), and took the girl into her arms. The small Hyuuga immediately latched onto his mistress, crying loudly into her shoulder while Tayuya whispered softly into her ear.

Truly, Miss Tayuya was the most caring person he knew. Granted, he didn't know terribly many people.

* * *

"I'm supposed to be the enemy... of everyone?" Hinata said in a voice so dumbfounded and struck with awe, Naruto grimaced.

"It seems that when the two of them finally finish their battle, whatever planet they are on will be... well, completely eradicated of life. All converted to midichlorians, strengthening the Force, yet ensuring their dominance over it." He paused, hugging Hinata to his chest, the poor Hyuuga too shocked or absorbed in thought to respond. "I never understood the prophecy, but it must have been made by Master Yoda a long time ago. There will come a time when someone will bring balance to the Force. In order to prolong this "balancing," Master has planted the... idea that balancing meant the absence of a Dark Side."

He took a deep breath, and nuzzled his face in her hair, which smelled of smoke and the slightly heady scent of her sweat. Whispering softly, he continued, "I will not defend him. If you hate him, I will help you destroy him, if you like. I would do anything for you, Hina. Yet, I don't see the extinction of trillions of sentient beings and a continuing war to be a viable solution. If they must consume a planet, it cannot be Coruscant. Not again. Not now."

Her voice was low, but it reverberated a strength deep within her, "Do it, Naruto. End this madness. Even on the run, I wouldn't mind going on. Not if it's you I'm running next to." She tilted her head up, a smile caressing her slightly dried-out lips. "Just promise me you'll come back for me."

He chuckled, stealing a quick kiss against those lips, which weren't so dry any longer. "You kidding? I wouldn't want to run alone." Running the back of his knuckles along her cheek line, and unable to bear any sort of goodbyes, he called upon the Pure Force. The world took on a yellow tinge just as the tears sprang to her eyes. Then she was gone, and Naruto was in the center of a storm.

Taking in his surroundings in one fell swoop of his gaze, Naruto crouched just as lander raced over head, trailing smoke, only to crash several meters away. Directly before him were the battling gods of the Force, hands locked together, feet dug into the crushed duracrete, and snarling faces nose-to-nose. Naruto watched in awe as rapid pulses of raw Light or Dark Force energy batted against the men. With each pulse, Naruto was pushed further away, arms crossed before his face to ward off the flying debris. He peaked through the gap between his wrists and saw bits of the men peel away and reform with each attack on the other.

Pulse. As if a strong wind whipped away at sand, Madara became translucent from the matter struck from him. Pulse. Tobirama's midriff almost entirely dissolved. Yet, depsite the rapid beat of the shockwaves, the particles came back together almost as fast. Almost. Bit by bit, the two were wearing away at the other. Naruto had the sneaking suspicion that if he didn't stop them before they became unable to reassemble themselves, he'd be unable to get them off the planet. After all, how could he pull anything through the Pure Force's gate if he could not touch it?

As the waves of power beat away at his body, Naruto made his way to an overturned TX-30 fighter tank, taking shelter on the opposite side of where the two men battled it out. Looking around, he could see Republic and CIS forces alike were doing much the same. The fighting in, this area at least, was halted.

Gritting his teeth, Naruto noted the cleared diameter that the pulses of power had created around the two men. He suspected that were he to get any closer than that, his body would be in a great deal of pain. He cursed inwardly. It was obvious that his time was running out, as the Temple itself couldn't take much more damage. Three of the surrounding spires were down, their monumental wreckage having done clear damage to both armies. The third one looked about ready to tip itself, with the top quarter already missing. And the Temple at the center of it all was ablaze at several layers, large chunks blown inward with the fiery force of arsenal or wrecked vehicles. Each pulse of power coming from the brothers sent a shiver up its length. And all along its length, a buzz of fighter ships circled, spraying plasma bolts by the thousands.

_Concentrate_, Naruto told himself. He focused on drowning out the cries of the wounded, the barks of commanders ordering their platoons about, and the rain of arsenal fire falling from the sky. _Concentrate. If you do this wrong, you'll break your promise to Hinata_.

He knew what he had to do. He had to appear between the two brothers, disappear through the Gate onto a completely different world, light-years away, then disappear once more. And if he didn't do it fast enough, almost instantaneously, he would be obliterated by the sheer raw power they were expelling.

_Concentrate. _Yet, now he had to choose. He could _feel_ the two embodiments of the Force, though they were losing solidity fast. That wouldn't be the hard part, he knew he could get between them. Yet, now he had to decide which planet would die. Which planet did he sentence to death, not a trace of life to remain, not a body to mourn over? Unfortunately, it had to be a world that mattered. One that would hurt the CIS immediately, make them vie for an immediate truce to face the new threat (at least, new to them). He couldn't pick the most desolate planet he could think of.

Physically pained by it, he knew the world he must choose. Tatooine. It had just a couple hundred thousand of people, yet was a large source of income for the CIS due to its black market, if not manpower. Though that wasn't what would set the CIS off. Tatooine held the title of having the most criminal-dense population. Crime lords with power and connections - and if they're gone, an entire system of trade goes down with them. People with these connections were in power in the CIS, and they were being hit where it hurt - their pockets. Not to mention any familial ties that would call for revenge.

And with that power to destroy entire planets, starting at the Outer Rim, who's to say the Planet Conquerer doesn't make _her _ way closer to the Core, wreaking destruction as she goes? Naruto felt sick, having to follow this line of thought. And there was one more reason it had to be Tatooine. Though far away, he could feel a connection there, if only faintly. Someone who held the same genes as Anakin. It pained him to abuse his connection with the man, but he saw no other way, and his heart went out to his friend. There was nothing he could do at this point.

Everything drowned out, Naruto crossed his arms in front of his face and cradled his face between his tensed biceps. Hands outstretched, he estimated the length he needed. A crescendo of pulses erupted one after the other, a rapid-fire, and he knew his time was nearly up, that those renewed bodies wouldn't last much longer. Holding onto the attachment on Tatooine, as well as focusing on the brothers, he entertained one last thought. _Hinata must have felt this way, just before Corellia was consumed. A part of it, but with no other choice. Yet, I do think I hold more responsibility for this than anyone..._

And then reality parted. The pain was instant, but he paid it no heed as his hands closed on folds of clothing, simultaneously opening the Gate for another jump. Reality seemed to slam into him from below, and he briefly heard a shriek before he was gone once more, his hands unclenched.

And it was done. Rolling across the dusty floor, picking it up along the way with his slick skin, he could not stop the roar of agony from escaping his lips. Two gasps and a then a crying out of terror filled his ears, but all he could do was cease his rolling and curl into a ball. Yet, even that hurt.

Some small part of his brain that wasn't completely absorbed in his suffering noted that he was completely naked, and that his entire body was slick with his own blood. Having cradled his face between his arms during the trip, he noted that it felt _slightly_ less tortured than the rest of him. Yet the thought didn't last long, as it was drowned out once more by the ocean of pain calling for every ounce of his attention.

A light filled the room, though he was only half-aware of it, so consumed was he in his misery. A blanket of relief engulfed him, and he suddenly felt as if he were floating. He was. He looked around, and saw only Hinata. She wore the dress that she did the last time they connected in their dreams, as long ago it seemed as the distance was between them at the time.

"Hinata?" He questioned, slowly making his way toward her, a tangible world coming into existence around him. He frowned at the pained grimace on her face, and was more worried when she smiled despite herself.

"Do not worry, Naru... I'm just trying to take away some of the burden." She fell to her knees, and sat there in the tall grass as Naruto ran over, quickly kneeling at her side.

"What's going on?" He knew what he was seeing around him was their dreamland... Drongar, or as close to it as it mattered. The sky overhead was gray, yet crimson cracks were racing across it, spreading rapidly, as if the heavens were about to shatter.

Hinata bit her lip hard enough for a trickle of blood to run down to the corner of her mouth, and it pained Naruto to witness it. In this world, they were but reflections of their minds, and Hinata's was in terrible distress. He cradled her in his arms, and his heart broke as he heard her try to suppress her whimpers. She couldn't speak, so consumed as she was in her work. He didn't try to dissuade her from whatever she was doing - he knew it would be to no avail, and would only serve to make her concentration harder to maintain.

"It's almost... done... Sakura is dressing your wounds. Naruto... it's bad." And a tear rolled down her cheek.

As the firmament seemed at its limits, the bright crimson shining through the cracks suddenly washed away, and a heavy rain poured down instead. Naruto felt Hinata go limp in his arms, and her gasps seemed to be as if she was relieved of a huge burden. He hugged her tighter to his chest.

"Sakura applied the anesthetic. Naruto, I'm so sorry-"

He made a calm 'shh' noise, and rocked her back and forth slowly. She went silent, and they sat there together rocking, him holding her and focusing on nothing but her. He was waiting. And waiting. And then it happened.

The Force bolstered slightly, then seemed to become very heavy on his heart, and he could tell it affected Hinata in a similar manner. Tatooine was now devoid of life, and he could already sense the aftershocks of what happened take hold in the Galaxy.

He sighed, and he wished there was some act of redemption in the universe that could atone for what he had done, but he knew there wasn't any. Yet, looking down at Hinata, he knew she knew his pain, and worse. Tears rolled down her face openly, and she sobbed silently. He cradled her for what seemed like hours, yet what did time mean in a place like this?

"You came back. You did." Hinata said, as if reassuring herself more than stating a fact. Naruto smiled dryly and answered anyway.

"We planet conquerors gotta stick together," he said, earning himself a flash of anger from Hinata. But she only sighed.

"It's our life now. Might as well accept it." She cast her gaze down to her hands, where she fiddled her fingers nervously. Something he hadn't seen her do since their training days on Ilum, where all tells of emotion are quickly subdued.

"For this to work, we can't be here on Coruscant. I need to come back, Hina." Naruto resigned himself to returning to reality. He couldn't let Hinata coddle him here in their connection, protecting him from the pain of his actions.

"Where will we go? You need help, Naruto! We have to-"

Naruto shook his head and interrupted. "We're on our own now. Anyone we contact would be put in danger, and if anyone is suspected of being our..." he chewed on the word for a moment, "_accomplices_, then they would have to go on the run, too. But, don't worry." And he smiled, looking around. "After the raids on Orochimaru's base, I doubt the Republic would have stayed for very long after cleaning up all the refined Bota they could carry."

His base would be the perfect area to hide out for awhile. It was lavish, due to Orochimaru's eccentric tendencies, and had all the facilities they needed to survive. Naruto looked around, _and it seems to be the only place we've called home, at least in our heads_.

"Okay... prepare yourself, Naru. You may have been given the anesthetic, but the extent of your wounds..." A painful grimace surfaced on her face, but Naruto nodded once.

And then he was back. A low moan escaped his seared lips before he could bring himself under control. Sakura was hurriedly wrapping gauze down his right leg, working her way past the ankle. He could feel his entire body was covered, excluding his mouth, eyes, and nose. The entire surface of his skin was hyper-sensitive, and a crawling sensation made his entire body itch. As a wave of cold engulfed him one moment, a surge of fire roasted him the next. He hissed through his teeth, and looked up at the frowning Hinata, who leaned over him. He gave her a pained grin, which sent searing pain up his face. He quickly resumed a neutral expression.

"Sakura, you never saw us," Naruto gasped, just barely able to make out her rapid nodding in his peripheral vision. At this point, Naruto noticed the eerie silence and the seeming stillness of the Tower, which had been shuddering since the battle began. "Hinata, place a hand on me."

He watched as she gingerly laid a palm across his chest, and he was surprised when the contact did not cause him pain, but instead created a cooling relief. "And off we go."

* * *

**Epilogue**

Tenten watched from over a mile away, observing everything through her scope. The ceremony had been long and boring, but the exciting part was coming. She had custom-made the sniper a month ago and was present for the siege on the Jedi Temple, but was unable to find her target. So she waited. A sniper's best friend is patience.

"Target 1703 meters away, wind due southeast at 3 kilometers per hour. I hope your new barrel is up to the task." Lee's voice crackled over her comlink, and she smirked to herself. She knew how this would play out.

The ceremony was taking place on the mostly cleared grounds of the Jedi Temple, and the truce was about to become official. Kyuubi strode up the lavish red carpet, making his way towards the senate and Council. The Republic representatives surrounded a pillar that commemorated those who died on that day, and the truce would be signed at its base.

Coming to a halt before the Council and senate, Kyuubi removed his helmet. Fully armed clones and Republic troops stood at one side of the carpet, while CIS forces stood at attention on the other side. Kyuubi stood tall, his dark armor not even reflecting a glint of light. Tenten watched the motions he went through, and could tell he was taking a deep breath, about to address the officials before him.

She pulled the trigger. Though to most people it all happened too fast to see, Tenten saw it all.

Kyuubi's lightsaber was out immediately, and the bullet dissolved against it - and she noted the slight widening of his eyes as comprehension dawned on him. A metal bullet. A bullet made of cortosis. His lightsaber shorted out, and the next bullet was right behind the first. It's tip entered exactly at the center of his pupil.

Tenten was up and moving, not bothering to watch the aftermath. Her quarry, as elusive as it had been, was dead. She jumped off the balcony just as her partner was zipping by underneath. The landing was rough, but she would live.

Sitting on her knees in the front seat, she rummaged in the back to put away her rifle. She had it tailored to fire two bullets at once, one right behind the other. She did her research, and knew this was the only way to kill the man. The cortosis needed for that caliber had cost her a small fortune, as she could only buy in bulk from an unsavory lot from the Outer Rim. She figured they were the ones who would undertake the rejuvenation of the black market, and make a large profit doing so. They certainly didn't cut her any deals.

She wouldn't bother contacting the contractor. The woman seemed in all sorts of distress last time, and anyone who did not hear about today's events would be dead or living under a rock.

"Well, Lee? What do you think about a long vacation, far away from this forsaken planet?" Tenten grinned openly at her partner, elated now that she had gotten revenge for her friend at the same time as killing their target. She wasn't one to keep business and pleasure separate.

"Ten, the fiery power of our youth will carry us anywhere you like!" He shouted, giving her a thumbs up and his best smile. A pose that she used to get embarrassed over, but now loved him for.

* * *

After the battle, the overwhelmingly dense atmosphere of midichlorians had forced Shino to depart immediately. He had no time to seek out the companions he had made along the way, and was running low on his serum. He had suspected that his time was near, and that his struggle against the galaxy was finally over.

He had made his way to the Outer Rim, as far as he could go from the Core without actually leaving the galaxy. And it was there that he made the discovery.

He was right all along to be interested in the insects of the planets he had visited, and his knowledge paid off. On a planet devoid of any sort of intelligent life, Shino spent an entire month cultivating a species of miniscule insects he called kikkai bugs. These insects had a symbiotic relationship with every animal on the planet, and fed on midichlorians. Through breeding and research, Shino created a method for his altered hive to move into his own body.

Though the process was painful, the results were immediate. The pain he felt his entire life, the pain of a microscopic war being waged on his body, was gone. And for the first time in his life, he laughed. And laughed. Lying on his sterile operating table, the man could do nothing but laugh, feeling a hum within him from the miracle bugs that would give him a normal existence. Well, sort of normal.

Sliding from the table, Shino began dressing himself, then walked out onto the small deck of his tree house. Taking a deep breath and for once not finding any pain in it, he let it all out in another laugh.

Staring up at the purple sky, grinning, full of joy he never thought possible, he wondered about the one friend he had made in his life. Though he knew he was as far from the Force as humanly possible, he tried to radiate some goodwill to the man.

"Wherever you are, Naruto, whatever is going on, I wish you well."

He may not live under a rock, but Shino wasn't one to keep up with current events. Hinata's and Naruto's face were constantly on every news network in the galaxy, and the search was in full force.

"May you find the peace I have now."

* * *

"You're disgusting!" she cried out for the thousandth time. You'd think she would have gotten over it by now.

"I can't help it," Shikamaru grumbled. "I'm a guy."

"It's awful! Every day, it's the _same thing over and over_! Don't you ever stop thinking such repulsive thoughts?" She huffed.

"I heard a statistic once... men think about sex every seven seconds or so. You're either going to have to get used to or it, or have the mercy to keep quiet!" He lowered his head into his arms and groaned. "I feel like I'm losing my mind!"

She sniffed, "What's to lose? Might as well use your skull for a trash bin for all it contains up here."

Angry, Shikamaru stood up and made his way to the bathroom. "I hope you're right about these people. I'm not sure how much longer I can take this."

"They made all those clone troopers, you remember? What's one girl's body in comparison?"

"They think I'm crazy," he sighed, just as he let out his stream, relief flooding his body.

"EWWWWWW!" she shrieked, and he could see a mental image of her beating on his back with her fists. It was all he could do to maintain his aim.

"Jeez, Ino, will you go easy on me? Just one day, try to hold in your disgust for all things me." And yet, as he said these words, a deep feeling of sadness welled within him. Yet, they were not his own emotions. He could see a very clear image of Ino sobbing melodramatically, tears streaming from her eyes. "Ah, man, I can't say anything right today."

"I'm sorry, Shika," she hiccuped, "it's just so hard to not have a body, you know? And to share the same mind as another person, even if it is this spacious."

He ignored her jab and flushed the toilet. A knock came at his door, and he hurried over to it, not bothering to put on anything. At this point, he didn't care. His boxers would have to do. Spending a month on Kamino in Tipoca city had made him care less and less for social etiquette.

Pressing a button, the door slid open, and he gave the tall being a flat stare. It's long neck craned slightly to look down at him. Or, more like, look down _on _him. When it spoke, it was clear it was a female. Shikamaru wasn't adept at telling them apart by looks alone. "Everything has gone smoothly, Master Nara. The clone will be completed to your specifications as soon as possible."

Unable to hide his annoyance, Shikamaru grunted, "It's been a month now. How long is 'as soon as possible'?"

Swaying slightly, the Kaminoan folded her hands behind her back and regarded Shikamaru with what he believed passed for disdain in their culture. "Six more months at the latest, I'm afraid."

Groaning, Shikamaru's shoulders sagged in defeat. He nodded, and closed the door in the Kaminoan's face. He heard a muffled huff come from the other side of the door. Getting on the being's nerves put a grin on his face. He wished Choji were here, instead of off taking odd jobs to make the money for this cloning process.

"Are you not going to fantasize about plowing her, too, Shika?" Ino asked with feigned innocence, earning another groan from the poor Nara.

"You owe me big for this, Ino. Big." He fell back into his bed and let out a long sigh.

A strikingly real image formed in his mind of Ino crawling atop him, completely nude except for the translucent sheet she clutched to her chest. Her cheeks blushed prettily, and she let out a soft moan, voicing his name.

Heart racing, laughter ringing between his ears, and face completely flushed, Shikamaru muttered, "You're an evil vixen, you know that?"

"Oh, Shika, you sap. I'm only giving you what you wanted."

"A teasing image to make fun of me, and call me a pervert?" He turned over onto his side, muttering to himself.

"No, not at all," her voice came, heavy and slow, and Shikamaru thought he felt a tickling at his ear, as if her breath brushed the tiny hairs there. "A vision of the future."

He swallowed hard, flushing deeper.

* * *

Jiraiya sat back, finished with the 'Forbidden Love Tales' saga. He glanced at the time on his display and saw it was early morning. He stood and stretched, making his way to his balcony. He had returned to his home planet, retiring from his position on the Council. Some members made a move to prevent it, yet with Yoda's approval, there was little that they could do.

He sipped at a strong tea, made from an indigenous leaf that foreigners found awful tasting, that a servant had brought up only minutes earlier. A hologram popped up from his desk, and he turned and stepped back inside to greet the caller.

"Ahh, Tsunade. How are you doing? You look as beautiful as ever." Jiraiya gave her a very toad-like grin.

She rolled her eyes at him. Being friends with his former student, Kurenai, Tsunade had run into the old lecher on numerous occasions, and so was not perturbed by his advances. "Your student is very distraught, you know."

Smiling wanly, Jiraiya set down his tea. "The poor girl has been through a lot, I confess. Not to mention she's gotten hell for teaching not one, but _two_ Planet Conquerors." And so it was. With Hinata and Naruto's absence, the two are known to be together. Suspicions bred rumors that bred social fact that Naruto was responsible for Tatooine's destruction. Kurenai was officially exiled from the Order, removing her status of MIA. "I do hope her newly re-found boy toy is keeping her in high spirits, at least." The bright smile of Kushina's brother, Minato, flashed in his mind's eye.

Snorting, Tsunade shared a conspiratorial smile with the old sage, "That and a lot, _lot_ more, I'm afraid. All on my ship, no less! The gall of some people."

"Maybe you should get back at them in much the same manner... I would be willing to lend my services-"

A derisive laughter pierced the air, and Tsunade's finger actually met her eye to remove a tear. "Not on your life, old man."

"Ah, well, can't blame a guy for trying." Jiraiya said, unmoved by her rudeness. "Though, I must confess to being confused about your intentions for calling me now, if not for the comfort of my embrace."

"I'm beginning to wonder myself. Hmmm." She paused, tapping a finger on her chin, seemingly staring off into the distance. "Oh yeah. Any trace of those two reckless brats yet?"

Jiraiya sighed deeply, settling heavily into his chair. "Not a trace of either of them since that last battle at the Temple. I heard Orochimaru was put in charge of the tracking squad. Seems he thinks himself an expert at chasing the two, heh. I'd be worried myself if I didn't have such confidence in the competency of my own student."

"Word is you got kicked off the Council for his 'competency', eh, old man?" Tsunade said, actually poking out at him.

"I much prefer the slow life of my homeworld. It's breeding season, after all," Jiraiya spoke with a pump of his eyebrows.

"Creepy old man, see if I ever call on you again!"

And then she was gone, and his laughter filled the room. He turned in his chair and looked out through the open door, over the balcony, and into the murky green sky, a grain of uncertainty in his mind for the first time in his life. "Wherever you are, Naruto... I hope you're okay. And happy."

* * *

Neji led the small girl by the hand along the beach line, stopping occasionally when she exclaimed at the sight of a pretty shell that she just _had_ to add to the bag on her hip. She wore a pink kimono with purple floral patterning. A flower clip held the fringe of her hair out of her face, and let him a have a full view of her smiling face as she looked up at him, holding her new shell. He wore a simple, blue-gray kimono, devoid of any decorations. He let his long hair flow freely at his back, much like the girl's hair beside him, aside from the clip.

They spoke in their native language, though Neji was making every effort to teach her Basic. A month had gone by since the disappearance of Naruto and Hinata, and he knew they would appear one day. Until then, his responsibility was to take care of Hanabi and teach her all he could.

She asked in their tongue, "Where is mommy?"

It was a common question since he had taken custody of her, but grew less frequent by the day. She never seemed to accept any story he gave her, so he gave the same message in a different way each time.

"Off fighting to see you," he replied promptly.

"When will she see me, then?" Her eyes looked up at him, innocent and wide, a look that told him she _knew_ he had all the answers. Oh, how he wished it were so.

He stopped and glanced out over the crimson ocean, watching a large bird dive underwater, then emerge moments later with a mouthful of fish. The sky was an eternal red, and the dwarf sun was just beginning to set on the horizon. Their home planet in the Getsuei system. The search parties came here a week ago and scoured the surface in their efforts, but to no avail. Indeed, the two most wanted people in the galaxy were nowhere to be found on this planet.

"I suspect she sees you every night in her dreams," Neji whispered, not taking his eyes off the sunset.

Hanabi giggled, drawing his eyes down to her. She smiled up at him, eyes closed. "I see her too, I think. And Naruto-nii-san, as well."

"Oh? And what happens in these nightly visits?" Neji asked, curious as to what sort of dreams his charge was having.

She laughed, pulling away from him, splashing out into the warm water. "Why, we play of course!"

And Neji laughed with her.

After the sun finally set, Neji led the small girl into the wooden shack they had called home for the last month. He made her brush her teeth, change into her pajamas, and then he knelt next to her cot as she finally settled into it. He held her hand in his, tracing smooth circles on the soft surface of the back of her hand.

"Neji-nii-san," the girl began tiredly, "mommy appreciates what you're doing. She's glad she can rely on you to take care of me." With a big yawn, she blinked several times and rubbed at her eyes with her free hand. Then her big, pupil-less, lavender-hued eyes settled onto his own rather strikingly gray orbs. "And I like spending time with Neji-nii-san, too!"

He smiled gently at her, inclining his head in gratitude. "Sleep now, little one."

She mumbled a soft protest, as if she weren't already about passed out. But within minutes, she was in a deep slumber, a small smile playing on her lips.

_Hanabi ran through the tall grass, which came up passed her hips, making a mad dash for the two figures waiting on her. With a running leap, Hanabi flew forward, crying out in delight. She was caught in a warm embrace, her momentum causing the young woman holding the girl to spin in circles. The two laughed together as they spun, before the young woman became too dizzy and finally fell backwards._

_With a soft thump, Hanabi and Hinata fell into Naruto, who caught them with a grin. He lowered the three of them to the soft ground. Hinata laid back against his chest as she cradled Hanabi in her arms, telling her a story about dragons and princesses._

_Hanabi giggled and gasped throughout the story, absentmindedly running her fingers along the patchy skin of Naruto's arm, where his scars were still prominent. She smiled up at him, and he smiled back, and she made fun of his bald head. He acted horror-stricken, complaining that it was starting to grow back. Hanabi giggled, and Hinata turned her head to give him a kiss. He sported a stupid smile for the rest of the story._

_As the hours passed, they played in the grass, told Hanabi stories, and generally basked in each other's company._

_Yet, the Time had come, as it always did, and Hanabi's lower lip trembled. Hanabi hated the Time._

_Language wasn't a barrier in this place. Thoughts were understood perfectly, no matter what._

_"I don't want to go," Hanabi complained, voice trembling. Hinata knelt and took the girl into her arms, kissing the top of her head._

_"It's only for a little while. We'll see you again soon," and then she pulled back, looking Hanabi in the eyes, giving her a wide smile. "I promise."_

_Naruto put a hand on Hinata's shoulder and smiled down at Hanabi, "You can count on it."_

_Smiling despite her tears, Hanabi nodded._


End file.
